Iran’s President Rouhani says UAE made ‘huge mistake’ with Israel deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the United Arab Emirates made a “huge mistake” by reaching an agreement with Israel to normalise their relationship. During a televised address on August 15, Rouhani termed the Abu Dhabi’s action as a “treacherous act” and warned them against allowing Israel a "foothold in the region".

"They (the UAE) better be mindful. They have committed a huge mistake, a treacherous act. We hope they will realise this and abandon this wrong path," said Rouhani.

US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed issued a joint statement on August 13, saying they have agreed to the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE. Calling it a historic breakthrough, they said that the deal will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the “bold diplomacy and vision” of the three leaders.

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Questions time and place of announcement

Rouhani opined that the UAE may have agreed to the deal thinking of guaranteed security in the region by getting close to the adversaries of Iran, but Tehran had "historically been the protector of its neighbours and ensurer of the security of the Persian Gulf." He questioned the time and place of the announcement, asking whether it was done to ensure a Trump’s win in the upcoming presidential elections. 

"Why then did it happen now? If it weren't a wrong deal, why was it then announced in a third country, in America? So a gentleman in Washington wins votes, you betray your country, your people, Muslims and the Arab world?"

On August 14, Iran strongly condemned the US-brokered agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and termed the agreement as an act of “strategic stupidity”. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that it will further strengthen the Iran-backed “axis of resistance” which includes Syria, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

"The oppressed people of Palestine and all the free nations of the world will never forgive the normalising of relations with the criminal Israeli occupation regime and the complicity in its crimes," the ministry said in a statement.

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