Iran summons China envoy over islands dispute statement with UAE

 

Iran summoned China's ambassador to Tehran following a contentious joint statement between Beijing and Arab states concerning three disputed islands, among other issues. 

On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping went to Saudi Arabia, Iran's rival, where he also met with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

They jointly issued a statement with a number of clauses that directly addressed Iranian affairs, its nuclear program, and regional endeavors.

The ownership of Greater T U N B, Lesser T U N B, and Abu M U S-A, three islands in the Strait of Hormuz that have been governed by Iran since 1971 and are claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of its territory, was the issue that prompted the rare summoning of the Chinese envoy.

After the British withdrew their armed forces from the areas that are now the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the then-shah of Iran sent the Royal Navy to the three islands in 1971. Since then, with support from other Arab states, Emirate leaders have maintained that the islands belong to them. Iran has rejected these appeals.

China effectively undermined Tehran's claim that it would not consider holding talks on the islands by signing the statement that called for "bilateral negotiations in accordance with the rules of international law, and to resolve this issue in accordance with international legitimacy"

The Iranian foreign ministry stated that the Chinese ambassador "had a visit" with a foreign ministry official on Saturday, during which Tehran's "strong dissatisfaction" was conveyed rather than "summoning" the ambassador to "protest" or "condemn" the move. This was in contrast to the language that the ministry uses to describe Western nations.

In a tweet, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also stated that Tehran will not hesitate to support the islands' territorial integrity because they are "inseparable parts of Iran's pure soil". 

Online, Amirabdollahian's tweet was criticized for not mentioning China and for only being written in Farsi, whereas he had previously written in both Farsi and Chinese to support China's territorial integrity.

He stated earlier this year that the 25-year cooperation agreement between China and Iran "has entered the implementation stage", but no significant contracts have yet been made public as part of the agreement

After Iran increased its uranium enrichment in response to a Western-introduced resolution at the board of the nuclear watchdog, the Chinese colleagues' statement that Xi signed with the GCC leaders called on Tehran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and stressed ensuring the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

IAEA Director General Rafael G R O S-I said in an interview with that was published on Saturday that Iran had an "obligation" to answer questions about man-made nuclear particles that were found at multiple locations.

In addition to Iran's proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones, China and GCC member states emphasized dialogue on Iran's "destabilizing regional activities" and "support for terrorist and sectarian groups and illegal armed organizations". 

Nasser K-A N-A N-I, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, issued a statement in which he defended Iran's activities and expressed his "surprise" at the inclusion of the Iran-related clauses.

In a Farsi-only tweet, Iranian President E-B R-A H-I M R-A I-S-I deputy for political affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, addressed Chinese authorities directly.

He wrote, "Chinese colleagues should remember that Iran fought the terrorists so that stability and security could be established across the region and terrorism wouldn't spread to the East and the West" when Saudi Arabia, the United States, and al-Qaeda groups supported terrorism in Syria and destroyed Yemen with brutal military aggression