Iran's President Hassan Rohani is threatening the United Arab Emirates with consequences after the Gulf state has agreed to enter into diplomatic relations with Israel
Photo:Brendan McDermid / REUTERS
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is on a course of confrontation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After the Emirates and Israel announced they would normalize their relations, Rouhani is now threatening consequences for the UAE. If the Emirates are considering giving Israel access to the Persian Gulf region, they will "take a tougher course", said Rouhani on Saturday.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on Thursday. An agreement between the two states also provides that Israel will for the time being renounce planned annexations in the West Bank, which the Palestinians claim for their own state. Up until now it has been taboo for Arab states to conclude agreements with Israel before the Middle East conflict is resolved. From the Arab region, Israel has so far only maintained official relations with its neighbors Jordan and Egypt. The Emirates would now be the third Arab country.
Rouhani described the Emirates' agreement with Israel as a betrayal of the Palestinians and Muslims worldwide. The UAE's notion of strengthening its own political and economic security by moving closer to Israel is a miscalculation.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) also threatened the UAE. "It was a poisonous stab in the back of the Islamic world and historical stupidity," the IRGC said on Saturday. The deal is doomed to failure and will accelerate the collapse of Israel and endanger the future of the UAE. As early as Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the agreement as "strategic stupidity" that would strengthen the anti-Israeli resistance front.
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has not recognized Israel's sovereignty. Tehran regards the country as its archenemy and has threatened the destruction of Israel several times. Relations with the UAE are also strained after the attack by Iranian protesters on the Saudi embassy in Tehran in 2016.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Palestinian leadership also condemned the agreement between Israel and the Emirates.
Approval from Europe and Bahrain
The European Union has welcomed the surprising rapprochement between the countries. Both are important partners in the international community, said EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell on Saturday on behalf of the 27 EU states. A normalization of bilateral relations will benefit both states and be an important step towards stabilizing the entire region.
With regard to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians, Borrell added that the EU continued to commit to a negotiated two-state solution based on internationally agreed parameters and international law. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had however stressed that the suspended annexation plans for the West Bank were not fundamentally off the table.
The German government welcomed the agreement between Israel and the UAE on Friday. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert spoke of a "future-oriented agreement" that would advance the balance and partnership between Israel and the Arab world. "Every establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states is a contribution to peace in the region," said Seibert. "And we hope that this agreement will open the way to a negotiated two-state solution again."
On Saturday, the Kingdom of Bahrain was the first Gulf state to welcome the agreement. The Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa described the agreement as a historic "step towards peace". It will stabilize the Middle East and ensure the security, progress and prosperity of the people in the region. He congratulated the Crown Prince of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, in a phone call.
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