Iran’s parliament speaker on Saturday condemned a GCC statement rejecting Iranian sovereignty over three Persian Gulf islands, warning that neighbors should not test the Iranian people's will to defend their territorial integrity.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the GCC position repeated in the bloc’s closing communiqué after its Bahrain summit on Wednesday relied on “baseless and absurd claims encouraged by outside actors.”
Such language, he said, violated principles of territorial respect and good-neighborliness.
The GCC statement reiterated its backing for the United Arab Emirates, which claims Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa – territories controlled by Iran since 1971, when the Shah’s government took over the islands following Britain’s military withdrawal.
Tehran rejects any challenge to its sovereignty, and figures across Iran’s political spectrum oppose UAE claims.
Long-running dispute resurfaces
The islands issue has become a standard feature of GCC ministerial meetings and joint statements with partners including the EU and China. These declarations routinely “support UAE efforts” to resolve the dispute and encourage negotiations or referral to the International Court of Justice.
Iran typically answers such communiqués with statements and diplomatic protests. It summoned EU representatives after the bloc issued similar language in October, and lodged objections with Beijing in 2024 when China echoed the call for a “peaceful settlement.”
The territories, Ghalibaf said, were “pieces of Iran’s body,” urging regional states to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.
Although the three islands remain the core flashpoint, a newer dispute over the Arash/Durra gas field has entered GCC statements.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia assert joint ownership, while Iran maintains overlapping claims, adding another layer of friction to an already crowded Persian Gulf maritime file.
In a letter addressed to Google, Meta, YouTube and Amazon Web Services, the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Iranian People warned that Iran’s widening use of AI-driven surveillance, recurrent shutdowns and a “white SIM card” scheme for officials had created a two-tier digital system isolating ordinary citizens.
The Iranian government enforces some of the world’s toughest online restrictions, blocking platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram for the general public. Most people rely on slow, unreliable VPNs that authorities routinely disrupt.
By contrast, X's new location feature recently revealed that select users receive government-issued SIM cards or whitelisted connections to bypass national filtering and throttling altogether.
The issue drew wide attention over the past few weeks, when the X feature revealed numerous pro-government figures were posting from inside Iran without VPNs – despite long claiming they used the same circumvention tools as ordinary citizens.
The disclosures triggered heavy public criticism, with many describing the system as “digital apartheid” or a “caste-based internet” that rewards political loyalty and entrenches inequality.
EU says firms must bolster anti-censorship tools
Hannah Neumann, who chairs the EU delegation, said a free internet remains the only barrier against propaganda and intimidation. “Technology companies are the guardians of this freedom, and now is the time to take their responsibility seriously,” Neumann said, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Euronews.
She added that companies were capable of measures that “ensure these voices are not silenced.”
Deputy chair Bart Groothuis said digital repression had become central to Iran’s authoritarian model. “By supporting tools to circumvent filters, we can improve secure communication and give Iranians access to the free internet,” he said.
The letter urged firms to fund open-source VPN and censorship-bypass projects, expand encrypted communication features and develop in-app proxies to keep users connected during outages. It also asked Amazon Web Services and human-rights–oriented VPN providers to offer free or discounted server space to stabilize services for Iranian users.
European legislators pressed Google to continue backing Jigsaw, Outline VPN and its SDK, and to consider integrating these tools into major apps. Meta was asked to embed filter-bypass technologies into Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Companies were also urged to provide simple procedures for appealing blocked accounts and to increase cooperation with digital-rights groups.
US lawmakers pursue parallel push
In Washington, lawmakers introduced the FREEDOM Act on Thursday, which would require the secretary of state, the FCC and the Treasury to assess technologies capable of supporting unfiltered internet access for Iranians.
Representative Claudia Tenney highlighted the potential of satellite-to-mobile systems that could “bypass the limitations of censorship and government networks.” The feasibility review will also evaluate UAV-based platforms and counter-jamming tools.
Representative Dave Min, whose district includes a large Iranian-American community, said promoting internet freedom strengthens global family ties while confronting authoritarian practices.
