February 2, 2024
by Warren L. Nelson
Russia has infuriated many in the Islamic Republic by questioning its ownership of three disputed islands in the Persian Gulf for the second time this year.
Iranian officials are screaming and complaining that Moscow is stabbing Iran in the back—charging that the Russians are acting despicably to a country many think has been kowtowing to Vladimir Putin.
But it isn’t clear that Russia is consciously treating the Islamic Republic badly. Many think Moscow has just screwed up very badly and accidentally treated Tehran very badly.
At issue is one paragraph in a communique signed with a group of Arab countries in December. It calls on Iran to sit down with the United Arab Emirates and negotiate peacefully over their dispute about three small islands in the Persian Gulf—Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
But Iran says the UAE’s claims are baseless and there is nothing to negotiate.
What makes Iranians furious with Russia is that the offensive clause was also contained in another communique that Moscow signed with another group of Arab nations earlier last year. So, the communique signed in December was the second offense and came after Tehran had screamed and berated Moscow just months earlier.
Many in Tehran are saying the Russians could have made an honest mistake early in 2023—but doing the same again months later after hearing the Islamic Republic’s anger just proves the Russians are despicable. After all, the Russians couldn’t be so incompetent as to make the same mistake twice in one year, so they must be evil and dishonorable.
What’s amazing is that no one speaking out in Tehran seems to believe the Russians could possibly be incompetent.
And the Russians can’t defend themselves by admitting to incompetence. So, they are left lamely trying to defend themselves for signing two statements offensive to Tehran.
The Chinese and the Japanese also signed communiques last year with the same language offensive to Tehran. But they each did it just once.
Tehran denounced China and Japan for their goofs and Russia for its first goof. But Russia’s repeat insult has brought out all the stops in Tehran.
In the final statement of the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum, held in Marrakech, Morocco, December 20, the participants supported peaceful solutions to the conflict over the three islands through either bilateral negotiations or resort to the International Court of Justice.
Ali-Akbar Velayati, who was Iran’s foreign minister back in the 1980s and has since been the chief foreign policy adviser to the Supreme Leader, called the Russian signature on the communique “interference in Iran’s affairs.” He then nastily reminded Moscow, “The strategic and friendly relations between Iran and Russia have not been achieved easily,” as if to suggest Tehran could end its friendship with Moscow, something no one seriously thinks would be adopted.
Mohammad-Javad Zarif, who was foreign minister for eight years under President Hassan Rohani, took a stand based on cynicism. “Today’s world is not a world of nobleness or chivalry. If we understand this, we will neither swoon over Russia nor hate it.”
The ultra rightwing daily Kayhan, whose editor is appointed by the Supreme Leader, was truly irked. “The position of the Russian government, even if it is a mistake, is a sign of betrayal. The least we can expect from the diplomatic system of our country is to ask the Russian government to officially apologize for the action it has taken against the territorial integrity of Islamic Iran.”
Shahryar Heidari, a member of the Majlis Foreign Policy Committee demanded an apology from Russia and said, “Otherwise, we will re-consider our relations with Russia.”
Through it all, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi has maintained total silence, as he often does at times when officials of his regime are going bonkers.
But the Islamic “system” was so enraged that the Foreign Ministry found the need to call in the Russian ambassador to be dressed down and hear Iran’s ire first hand.
Banners and posters have gone up on streets surrounding the Russian embassy proclaiming that every Iranian is a resident of tiny Abu Musa.
Social media users have begun a campaign demanding that President Raisi visit Abu Musa to assert Iranian ownership.
Many social media comments reminded Iranians of the many offenses emanating from Russia over the centuries, especially the seizure of Iranian territory in the Caucasus Mountains in the early 1800s and Russia’s failure to withdraw its troops promptly from Iran at the end of World War II as promised. Said one posting on Instagram, “You should expect such political behavior when you tie all of the country’s national interests to one particular country whose friendship Iran has never enjoyed.”
Someone has produced a video alleging to show the UAE flag being raised at a UAE military post on Abu Musa. When Iran took over the islands in 1971, the UAE was allowed to keep a police post on Abu Musa, but the Islamic Republic later forced all UAE staff to leave.
