European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Photo: US Department of State.

The fallout in the Iranian media after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization is fascinating.

Their only weapon is to call the Saudi-led Council “Zionist.” And that insult just doesn’t do what it used to do.

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says allies of the Zionists have dubbed Lebanon’s resistance movement, Hezbollah, a terrorist organization.

“Those who have created a crisis in Syria and stood by the Zionists as their allies in different wars name Lebanon’s Hezbollah [a] terrorist [organization],” senior adviser to Leader’s representative to the IRGC, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, said on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the six-nation [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The bloc, comprising Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, however, did not provide any evidence for its allegations.

Javani said the Arab bloc’s groundless accusation against the resistance group is a self-harming act and a strategic mistake that would discredit the council.

He emphasized that Hezbollah is a popular movement which has been formed to confront the Israeli regime, defend Lebanon’s territorial integrity and protect rights of Muslim nations.

The IRGC commander said the [P]GCC move to declare Hezbollah a terrorist body clearly shows that the Arab bloc is following in the footsteps of the Zionists, adding that their act is in line with fulfilling the demands of the United States.

They try to make it look like most of the Arab world objects to the GCC declaration, and fail big-time:

Algeria refused to classify the movement as a terrorist organization. Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, also praised Hezbollah as a resistance movement which has a history in the struggle against the Zionist entity as well as in supporting the Palestinian cause. Iran, Syria and Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement have also slammed the move by the [P]GCC.

There were also condemnations of the move by Hezbollah’s second-in-command and from Iran’s foreign minister Zarif.

When the average Arab who opposes Iranian meddling in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq reads these over-the-top reactions, they probably think that being Zionist isn’t such a bad thing compared to being a supporter of Iran.

(Iranian media are also reporting that “unnamed American officials” are warning Hezbollah that Israel is planning to attack Lebanon.)