As China Sides With GCC States in Island Dispute, Shargh News … – Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington

The December 13 Iran Media Review explores reactions to a joint Chinese-GCC statement regarding the dispute over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
Ali Alfoneh
Senior Fellow, AGSIW
Under pressure from anti-regime protests at home, Iran was also dealt a painful diplomatic blow abroad, as the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and Gulf Cooperation Council states issued a joint statement December 9 affirming “their support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates to reach a peaceful solution to the issue of the three islands; Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa.”  
The Islamic Republic, which in line with the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, considers the islands inseparable parts of Iranian territory, reacted angrily by summoning the Chinese ambassador to the Foreign Ministry; and Iranian parliamentarians too lashed out against China. Shargh daily, on the other hand, blamed the regime’s imbalanced foreign policy and excessive reliance on China and Russia, rather than Chinese government, for what it perceived as a threat to Iran’s territorial integrity.
AGSIW’s Iran Media Review monitors, translates, and reviews critical Persian-language media sources identifying important developments and trends in the Islamic Republic of Iran..
is a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is the author of Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Demise of the Clergy and the Rise of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2020).
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