Tehran’s foreign minister has made a tour of the region, where Russia and Turkey have become the dominant outside powers since the autumn war, leaving little room for Iran.
Armenia went farther than most of Iran’s neighbors, closing its border for two weeks. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, was the only country to have not closed its border with Iran at all.
Yerevan has been trying to resist pressure from Washington to cut ties with its southern neighbor. But Armenia's private banks have been making it more difficult to do business.