![\"Iran's](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Irans_Fishermen_Protest_Chinese_Fishing_Vessels.jpg\" "\\"Irans_Fishermen_Protest_Chinese_Fishing_Vessels\\"")
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By\u00a0Shahriar Kia<\/p>\n
Local fishermen in the city of Chabahar, southeast Iran, held a rally on Thursday protesting Chinese troll vessels in the 12-mile area of the coast.<\/p>\n
The semi-official ILNA news agency wrote, \u201cA group of fishermen from Sistan and Baluchistan Province were protesting Chinese troll vessels entering the waters used by small fishing boats and larger vessels belonging to locals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reports indicate foreign troll vessels in Chabahar\u2019s waters have literally destroyed the local fishing industry. Locals are demanding these troll vessels be confiscated.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s regime has very close relations with China, and many Iranians believe the mullahs have literally sold off their southern waters to allow Chinese fishing vessels to plunder the Iranian nation\u2019s wealth.<\/p>\n
The Iranian regime\u2019s speaker of Majlis (parliament) visited China in February and praised the growing economic ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran and China are two countries with historical civilization and have always had close ties with each other,\u201d Larijani told reporters at Tehran\u2019s Mehrabad Airport before his departure to China.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Javad Jamali, member of the Iranian parliament, acknowledged that the speaker\u2019s visit to China was a result of international sanctions and Tehran\u2019s growing isolation: \u201cMr. Larijani\u2019s visit happened because of the special conditions that the severe and unjust U.S. sanctions have created against the Islamic Republic and Europe is practically following these sanctions. No doubt, the Islamic Republic must use all its potential and capabilities to open other doors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamali repeated expressions that the visit \u201cwas the establishment\u2019s decision\u201d and that it \u201cdelivered the Islamic Republic\u2019s message to China\u201d was a direct hint that the visit was under direct order and supervision of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier, the president and his first deputy visited China and Russia. But it appeared that the Chinese needed reassurances from the side of the legislative\u2026 The Chinese needed to be reassured that the talks with them are the stance of the whole [regime]\u2026 it has been made absolutely clear that the message that was delivered to Chinese officials during this visit is the message of the Islamic Republic,\u201d Jamali added.<\/p>\n
Hanif Ghaffari, an Iranian regime pundit, described relations with China as \u201cwide strategic exchanges\u201d with \u201cexceptional importance\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that a \u2018strategic exchange\u2019 with China, while it has been proven that European officials\u2019 financial mechanism package has failed, is an important and proven path in our country\u2019s economic and foreign relations field,\u201d Ghaffari said to the Fars news agency, which is controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).<\/p>\n
Ahmad Shirzad, close to Rouhani\u2019s faction and a former member of the parliament, who previously insisted on relations with the West and Europe in particular, said in an interview with Etemad online website: \u201cRelations with China, especially economically, are very important to us and if we engage China in the right way and encourage them to have a firm stance in having a continued economic relationship with us will solve many difficulties that the Americans want to put upon our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iranian officials\u2019 turn to China and Russia is a clear sign that the Iranian regime is disappointed with Europe.<\/p>\n
The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said earlier that Europe won\u2019t help the Iranian regime to circumvent U.S. sanctions, and he advised Iranian officials to \u201cLook eastward\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should look to the East, not the West. In addition, looking to the West and Europe has no benefits but being kept waiting, currying favor, and being belittled,\u201d Khamenei said in a speech in October last year.<\/p>\n
Referring to Europe\u2019s financial mechanism and the European troika that signed the nuclear deal, Khamenei said: \u201cI don\u2019t trust these three countries and I say you shouldn\u2019t trust them. If you want to sign an agreement, get real and actionable guarantees or tomorrow they\u2019ll do in another way what the U.S. does today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, they [the European three] stick the dagger in their opponents\u2019 breast while smiling and with nominal compliments that we know you won\u2019t break up the agreement, they pursue their own goals,\u201d he further said.<\/p>\n
Despite the ballyhoo of Khamenei\u2019s about the look-to-the-East policy and Larijani\u2019s visit to China, the fact is that this policy is a cheap attempt by a regime that feels increasingly desperate under economic and political pressure, both from inside and outside the country.<\/p>\n
Chinese and Russian trade with the U.S. are considerably more than their transactions with the Iranian regime, and observers believe it is unlikely that they would be willing to sacrifice it to help Tehran.<\/p>\n
Hossein Pirmozen, a member of the Iran-China Trade Chamber, says: \u201cThe Chinese government, contrary to its political stances, hasn\u2019t made a reasonable decision when it comes to economic exchange with Iran. The Chinese have broken their promises regarding providing Iran with necessary spare parts. They say we should do our trading via third-class banks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based in part on a report<\/a> on the website of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK<\/a>), Iran\u2019s main democratic opposition group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Shahriar Kia Local fishermen in the city of Chabahar, southeast Iran, held a rally on Thursday protesting Chinese troll vessels in the 12-mile area of the coast. The semi-official ILNA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":53152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-26218","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-protests","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n