Iran summons Chinese envoy over islands dispute

• Iran summoned China’s ambassador.
• The report occurs after Beijing published a controversial joint statement with Arab powers.
• Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia, and met with GCC leaders.

Iran summoned China’s ambassador after Beijing published a controversial joint statement with Arab powers.

Xi Jinping visited Iran’s adversary Saudi Arabia on Friday and met with GCC leaders.

In a joint statement, they addressed Iran’s nuclear program and regional operations.

Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa are three islands in the Strait of Hormuz administered by Iran since 1971 and claimed by the UAE.

After the British withdrew from the UAE in 1971, the shah of Iran sent his fleet to the three islands. Emirati leaders claim the islands, with Arab support. Iran has declined.

China’s request for “bilateral consultations in conformity with international law” weakened Tehran’s position that it would not negotiate over the islands.

Instead of “summoning” the Chinese ambassador to “protest” or “condemn” the move, the Iranian foreign ministry said the envoy “visited” a foreign ministry official on Saturday to convey Tehran’s “strong disapproval.”

Hossein Amirabdollahian said the islands are “inseparable elements of Iran’s clean soil” and Tehran will protect its territorial integrity.

Amirabdollahian’s message was criticized online since he didn’t name China and just tweeted in Farsi, when he previously tweeted in Farsi and Chinese in support of China’s territorial integrity.

China and Iran inked a 25-year cooperation pact last year, which Amirabdollahian said “has started the implementation stage” but no large contracts have been publicized thus far.

Xi’s declaration with GCC leaders didn’t mention island ownership.

It called on Tehran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), weeks after Iran accelerated its uranium enrichment in response to a Western-introduced resolution at the nuclear watchdog’s board.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran must address questions about man-made nuclear particles at various sites.

China and GCC member nations emphasized engagement on Iran’s “destabilizing regional operations” and “support for terrorist and sectarian groups and illegal armed organizations.”

Nasser Kanani, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, expressed “astonishment” at the provisions and defended Iran’s operations.

Mohammad Jamshidi, Iran’s deputy president for political affairs, tweeted in Farsi to Chinese authorities.

“Chinese colleagues should remember that when Saudi Arabia and the US supported terrorist ISIS and al-Qaeda groups in Syria and destroyed Yemen with a brutal military aggression, Iran fought the terrorists to establish stability and security across the region and prevent terrorism from spreading to the East and West,” he wrote.

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