TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has said the UAE and Bahrain would be responsible for any “consequences” resulting from their normalisation of relations with Israel.
His remarks came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE signed agreements establishing full diplomatic ties at a White House ceremony.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Rouhani said Israel is “committing more crimes in Palestine every day”.
“Some of the region’s countries, their people are pious Muslims but their rulers neither understand religion nor (their) debt…to the nation of Palestine, to their brothers speaking their language,” he said in televised remarks.
“How could you reach out your hands to Israel? And then you want to give them bases in the region? All the severe consequences that would arise from this are on you.”
Rouhani’s remarks came shortly after Israeli planes bombed Hamas targets in the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli raid followed rockets fired from Gaza while the normalisation deals with the two Arab states were being signed in the US.