Ali Rabiei: China does not want the cooperation document to be published; Islamic Republic seeks to sign a similar document with Russia

As public opposition to the signing of the cooperation document between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China grew, Hassan Rouhani's government spokesman claimed that a "propaganda campaign" had been launched, and this time presented a new narrative as the reason for keeping the text of the document secret.

Ali Rabiei, a spokesman for the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in a press conference on Tuesday, April 10: "The Iranian government had no problem with publishing this document in full from the beginning, and the other party was probably unwilling to publish it due to some considerations related to itself."

China's reluctance to publish this cooperation document comes at a time when Reza Zabib, Director General for East Asia at the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had previously said that there is no legal requirement to publish this cooperation document and that it is not common.

In response to widespread protests against this cooperation document, the government spokesman claimed that "the subject of criticism has taken on a dimension beyond those who sympathize with the country's independence," adding: "Some of these individuals who have a history of being loyal to foreigners have initiated this atmosphere-building and lies. It is quite clear that they have launched a propaganda campaign against Iran and organized baseless analyses not out of sympathy or patriotism [but] because they oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran's quest for independence."

He also announced that similar long-term agreements are in the pipeline: "We have already taken steps in this regard with some neighboring countries, and we have already announced our readiness to all countries in the region for major agreements."

It seems that Mr. Rabiei is referring to a similar agreement with Russia, because a day earlier, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced that the Islamic Republic is seeking to sign "long-term and strategic documents" in order to "neutralize foreign sanctions."

The foreign ministers of China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement between the two allies on Saturday in a ceremony broadcast live on state television, a document that officials from both countries have declined to provide details of and that critics have compared to the Turkmenchay agreement of the Qajar era.

On Sunday, April 28, the President of the United States, in a brief response to the cooperation between the Islamic Republic and China, described it as worrying.

The signing of this agreement sparked widespread reactions on social media, and a group of Iranian citizens participated in spontaneous rallies in various cities across Iran, expressing their opposition to the signing of this document.