Armenia–Iran relations

Bilateral relations exist between Armenia and Iran. Despite religious and ideological differences, relations between the two states remain extensively cordial and both are strategic partners in the region. Armenia and Iran are both neighbouring countries in Western Asia and share a common land border that is 44 kilometres (27 mi) in length.

The two nations share their history and culture to a large extent due to their directly interactive relationship going back for thousands of years, starting with the ancient Median Empire. The territory of the modern-day state of Armenia was a part of Qajar Iran until 1828, when it was forcefully ceded to the neighbouring Russian Empire as a consequence of Iran's defeat in the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and the resulting Treaty of Turkmenchay. In the present-day, there are no territorial disputes between the two countries and the Armenian minority in Iran, amongst the largest and oldest communities in the world, enjoys official recognition by the Iranian state. Of special importance is the bilateral cooperation in the field of energy security, which lowers Armenia's dependence on Russia and may also open up a route for Iran to supply oil and natural gas to Europe through Georgia and the Black Sea in the absence of international sanctions.

Stepan Safarian of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies has commented on the Armenia–Iran relationship, stating: "Given this geopolitical environment, Armenia has the legitimate right to cooperate with Iran for ensuring its security... Besides, Armenia has an energy surplus and its only major export market at present is Iran... So there is also a lot of economic interest involved."

Due to the two nations' intertwined history, and with the Armenians having a native presence in what is present-day northwestern Iran for millennia, many of the oldest Armenian churches and monasteries are located within Iran, such as the Saint Stepanos Monastery and Saint Thaddeus Monastery, amongst others. Armenia and Iran also share extensive touristic and trade ties.