Iran and Armenia Find Solidarity in Isolation

Built in the 1760s by a Persian ruler of Armenia, Yerevan's "Blue Mosque" was renovated in the 1990s with financing from Iran, Feb. 25, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

The Prayer Hall under the blue dome, Yerevan, Armenia, Feb. 25, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

At the madrasa, or Koranic school, at the Blue Mosque, Persian is also taught, Yerevan, Armenia, Feb. 25, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

At the Blue Mosque's museum, vessels and dishes speak of the centuries of Persian influence in Armenia, an overwhelmingly Christian nation, Yerevan, Armenia, Feb. 25, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Iranian trucks drive north through Armenia's winding, mountainous roads, Feb. 21, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

A memorial sign for an Iranian trucker who missed a curve on Armenia's main road link to Iran, Feb. 21, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)

Iranian truckers stop to check snow chains on tires before crossing Armenia's 1,800 meter high Tukh Manuk Pass, Feb. 21, 2013. (V. Undritz/VOA)