Iranian media continued criticizing Russia for questioning Iran’s ownership of three small islands in the Persian Gulf contested by the United Arab Emirates.

Iranian media and social media users were deeply annoyed when Russia joined the Persian Gulf Arab states earlier this week to demand a settlement to the dispute over the ownership of the islands Iran says are its integral part. 

The Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian and government spokesman Ali Bahadori wrote in separate tweets that “Iran will not compromise over its national interests and territorial integrity.” 

However, Tehran’s official reaction to Russia has been meek. Social media users said officials had indeed made a compromise by not naming Russia in their tweets. 

Britain, which maintained control of Abu Musa, and the Greater and Lesser Tunb it had occupied in the 19th century, withdrew its forces from the Persian Gulf in 1971 and the United Arab Emirates was formed. However, Iran’s Imperial government at the time decided to reclaim what it believed were historical Iranian islands.

The Iranian flag being raised in one of the three Persian Gulf islands taken by the Imperial Navy in 1971

Mohammad Reza Shah sent the Iranian navy to secure all three in November of the same year, two days before UAE was established. Iranian forces remain on the islands, with only Abu Musa having much of a civilian population of several thousand.

In its Thursday edition, conservative newspaper Jomhouri Eslami wrote in a strongly worded editorial: “This is not going to be Russia’s last treason against Iran.” The daily added: “Foreign Ministry officials should not think that this episode will end by summoning Russia’s ambassador. We need an essential revision of our political relations with Russia and forcing Russian statesmen to regret their treason against the Iranian nation.”

The daily wrote, Russia’s diplomatic move once again proved that those who opposed staunch supporters of Russia in the Iranian government were right.

The daily added that Russia and China are always prepared to undermine all international regulations and ethical rules to serve their own interests.

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