TEHRAN -- The Aras River, a vital waterway flowing through Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran, is facing an environmental catastrophe as American demand for strategic minerals drives increased mining activity in the Caucasus.
The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, one of the world’s largest producers of molybdenum, has for years been dumping toxic chemical waste into the Okhchuchay River, which flows into the Aras River after passing through the Zangilan region. The pollution has caused severe and destructive environmental consequences for the entire region, reports said.
Molybdenum, a strategic metal essential for aerospace, defense equipment and advanced technologies – including supersonic aircraft and missile coatings – is now at the center of a geopolitical scramble as Washington seeks to reduce dependence on China and Russia for critical minerals.
The Zangezur complex alone accounts for approximately 2.2 percent of global molybdenum production. The Kajaran mine, one of the world’s largest open-pit mines, has been in operation since 1962.
Environmental concerns have intensified following a July 20 executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which imposed severe restrictions on purchasing critical minerals from U.S. geopolitical rivals. 
The order enabled Washington to secure Armenia’s critical mineral and rare earth wealth through a comprehensive framework agreement signed on May 26, 2026, binding Yerevan to U.S. strategic objectives.
The United States has also signed similar agreements with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, while promoting the “TRIPP Route” transit corridor to transport minerals from Central Asia and the South Caucasus through Turkey to the United States.
However, Armenian media reports have raised concerns that increased extraction and export of molybdenum from the Zangezur mines, driven by U.S. demand, will exacerbate the already severe pollution of the Aras River.
The environmental damage is compounded by the complex ownership structure of the Zangezur complex. The majority shareholder is Roman Trotsenko, a Russian billionaire closely linked to the Kremlin, whose company GeoProMining Armenia acquired 60 percent of the complex in 2021.
In February 2024, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on GeoProMining, prompting Trotsenko to reportedly transfer his assets to Svetlana Yershova, a trusted associate. Armenian media investigations have revealed that Yershova serves as a front for Trotsenko, a legal tactic to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
“The transfer of Zangezur molybdenum to America, while attractive for Armenia’s economy, is fraught with serious geopolitical risks,” an Armenian media report said. “It seems unlikely Washington would want to purchase minerals from a company whose profits end up in the pockets of Russian tycoons.”
This has led to speculation about a potential deal between Washington and Moscow to resolve the ownership issue. Reports emerged that Konstantin Sokolov, a Russian-American businessman close to Trump and executive director of the U.S.-funded TRIPP+ fund, has purchased the Teghut copper-molybdenum mine – Armenia’s second largest – from Russian bank VTB, a sanctioned institution.
Analysts suggest the transfer of the Teghut mine from a Russian bank to Sokolov, and his appointment at the helm of the U.S. fund, may indicate a complex behind-the-scenes compromise between Washington and Moscow.