China has rattled Tehran by again backing the United Arab Emiratess claim over three Persian Gulf islands controlled by Iran.

Following a visit to Abu Dhabi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the countries in a joint statement on December 13highlightedBeijings support for the efforts of the UAE to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. Notably, there is no explicit mention of Iran in the statement.

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaeicriticizedthe UAEs insistence on misusing every diplomatic delegations visit to raise claims about the three islands.

The Taiwan Card

While Baqaei didn't criticize China, Iranian media have been more explicit in their assessment of Beijing's statement.

Keyhan, a hard-line newspaper whose chief editor is appointed by the supreme leader, argued that Chinas support for the UAEs claim meant that it has implicitly accepted that its own claim over Taiwan is disputable and should be resolved through negotiations.

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the presiding board of Irans conservative-leaning parliament, echoed a similar sentiment, accusing Beijing of adopting a double standard and saying it cannot insist on its One China policy while simultaneously questioning Irans territorial integrity.

In an implicit reference to Taiwan, the state-affiliated Mehr news agency said China itself considers any mention of its territorial integrity a violation of its security red line.

Therefore, it argued, Chinas support for a statement questioning Irans sovereignty of the islands is unjustifiable and cannot be ignored.

The Islands

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a decades-old sovereignty dispute that has long tested Irans relations with its Gulf neighbors.

The three islands lie near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which aboutone-fifthof the worlds seaborne oil passes.

Iranseized controlof the islands on November 30, 1971 -- one day before the British withdrawal from the Gulf and the formation of the United Arab Emirates -- asserting historical claims that date back to the Persian Empire.