Former Iranian lawmaker calls out Russian ‘dictator’ for supporting Arab stance on Persian Gulf islands

“Russia’s support for ‘the Sharjah lie’ is a continuation of Putin and Lavrov’s playing with Iran’s national interests. We will see a bigger betrayal by the Russians when the dictator is forced to deescalate with NATO,” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a former head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran’s parliament, wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

The tweet came a day after the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Russia said in a joint statement that they supported the United Arab Emirates’ efforts in pursuing sovereignty over the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf.

The statement “affirmed… support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative of the United Arab Emirates and its endeavours to reach a peaceful solution to the issue of the three islands… through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said later that the three islands belonged to Iran “for eternity” and that the stance was not consistent with Iran’s friendly relations with its neighbors.

Iran has recently resumed relations with Saudi Arabia, a member state of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. The Islamic Republic is also considered a close ally of Russia, which is waging a war on Ukraine.