Ali Rabiei, the government spokesman, on Tuesday [March 30] described critics of the Sino-Iranian agreement, signed in Tehran on Saturday, as launching a "propaganda act" and spreading lies based on "opposition to Iran's independence." Rabiei told his weekly meeting with reporters that opponents of the agreement had “launched a massive psychological operation."

The agreement signed between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Iranian foreign ministry has not been publicly released but is described by officials as a “comprehensive strategic partnership” and "a roadmap for cooperation." A fact sheet published by Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs on Monday underlines that the agreement does not surrender "management, administration or exploitation rights" of any region of the country or "mutual or unilateral [trade] monopoly".

Hashtags associated with opposition to the pact or calling for its abolition have topped the list of most used Twitter hashtags this week. Many allege that the pact means Iran's capitulation to China, or call it a "colonial contract" similar to the 1828 Treaty of Turkmanchai, which followed military defeat and ceded large parts of Iran's northwestern territories to Tsarist Russia.

Critics of the agreement have urged Iranians to protest in front of parliament in Tehran and governors' offices in other cities in the coming days. Videos and images published on social media on Monday showed a rally in protest in front of the parliament in Tehran and two smaller rallies in front of the governor's office in Karaj and Esfahan Monday. Protesters carried posters reading "Iran Not for Sale" and "We Will Fight, We Will Die, [but] We Will Take Iran Back."

Rabiei denied allegations that Iran would surrender Persian Gulf islands to China, allow a Chinese military presence in Iran, or yield control of energy resources to Beijing. Rabiei conceded that there were legitimate concerns among the political and social elite − who have questioned the way the contents of the agreement had not been made known to the Iranian public – and promised further explanations. 

In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, more than 200 political activists and dissidents called the agreement "invalid and inhumane." Signatories urged the Chinese President not to implement it and said they reserved the right to claim compensation for damages suffered by Iran.

It has been widely reported that the latest agreement envisages Iran supplying China with oil in return for Chinese investment in banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and other projects. China is already the largest foreign investor in the Middle East and its largest customer for oil. Beijing sees the agreement with Iran as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), developed since 2013 to promote commercial, energy, transportation, 5G, and infrastructure projects across 70 countries.

China has continued to buy oil from Iran despite the threat of US sanctions since 2018, and Chinese contractors stayed in Iran when European major pulled out of contracts after 2018 in fear of US sanctions. An outline agreement signed by Iran and China in 2016 expressed support for national sovereignty and rejects the use of force in solving international disputes. It backed Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which the US abandoned in 2018, and Iran’s admission to full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.