Kayhan wrote that Iran’s strong reaction to the Russian foreign minister’s support for a GCC declaration on the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulf forced Moscow to back down. It said: The speed with which the Kremlin withdrew from its joint position with the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council regarding the three Iranian islands shows that Moscow clearly feels that it needs Iran more than Iran needs Russia.
The intensity of Iran’s reaction and Moscow’s readiness to withdraw indicate that whenever Tehran loses interest in developing relations with Russia, something is likely to change in the future. It can be either because of Russia’s growing isolation from its war against Ukraine or because of Moscow’s mistakes. At the moment, a possible change in developments such as disruption in Tehran-Moscow relations seems to be very unlikely, but if Russia again turns to imprudent diplomacy in the future, then this possibility will be almost certain. The speed with which Lavrov and the Russian Foreign Ministry moved to correct their representative’s mistake—the islands, which are both symbolically and militarily important to Iranians and a symbol of Iran’s power—suggests that Russia’s top leader is concerned that any damage to Russia’s status in Tehran can erode its recent achievements.
Iran: Declining influence
In a commentary, the Iran newspaper discussed the trip of Michael Kurila, the commander of the CENTCOM terrorist organization, to the Persian Gulf. The paper wrote: America continues to send more troops and military equipment to this region. Because in light of serious developments in the political geography of the region, not only the American influence will be reduced and its relations with the Persian Gulf countries will be impacted, but it can also provide the basis to form a security and economic cooperation bloc in the region with the centrality of the Islamic Republic. Due to the weakening of the position of American forces and military bases in different parts of the region, the high-ranking American military official visited the region under the most intensive security measures.
Iran’s naval power has been manifested in many fields such as holding joint maneuvers in the Latin American region, which was considered the American backyard, and the historical navigation of the 86th flotilla around the globe. These are instances proving the reliability of the Iranian Navy as a powerful security force. This power will serve as an important factor in increasing the self-confidence of the countries in the region against extra-regional claimants and will build a foundation for more and wider cooperation.
Vatan-e-Emrooz: Enemies have no choice but to change their strategy against Iran
In an analysis of the achievements of the 86th flotilla, Vatan-e-Emrooz said: The 8-month mission of this flotilla demonstrated the capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the maritime field to the world. Being on the coast of South America was one of the great achievements that the flotilla managed to do. Once upon a time, the Americans drew a line on the map and announced that Iranians cannot cross the Atlantic Ocean and reach the shores of the American continent, but the 86th flotilla showed that Iran can be present not only on the shores of the American continent but any place it wants and there is no limit to the blue spots on the planet and no country can prevent this presence. The visit of the Iranian flotilla to Brazil’s shores is like the defeat of the United States in the face of Iran, which, despite extensive efforts could not prevent the Iranian flotilla from berthing the port of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The Americans made many efforts to prevent this action, but they could not.
Shargh: America’s promise is not valid even with the Taliban
In a commentary, Shargh wrote: Sources close to the Taliban negotiating team in Doha declared that in the last few meetings, the representative of the United States has clearly stated that his country is ready to free the assets of Afghanistan that had been previously blocked by Washington in exchange for playing an insecure role, a matter to which the Taliban has given a negative response. In his serial meetings with Taliban officials, Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, has always requested that Afghanistan under Islamic rule become a destabilizing force for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Diplomatic sources close to the Taliban negotiating team between 2013 and 2015 also declared that this proposal had been raised many times by the Americans, but even considering the difficult period of military activity and intense conflicts between the Taliban and the United States, the Taliban officials had rejected this American offer.
