| DUBAI: The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has said his country’s deal to normalise ties with Israel is a “sovereign decision” and not directed at Iran. “The UAE-Israeli peace treaty is a sovereign decision not directed at Iran. We say this and repeat it. We do not accept interference in our decisions,” Gargash said on Twitter on Monday. On Sunday, the UAE had summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi and gave him a “strongly worded memo” in response to a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who had said the UAE had made a “huge mistake” in reaching an agreement to normalise ties with Israel and called it a betrayal by the Gulf state. On Sunday, the GCC Secretary-General condemned “threats” by Rouhani and other Iranian officials towards the UAE over the accord. On Sunday, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio Bahrain and Oman could be the next Gulf countries to follow the UAE in formalising ties with Israel. Oman maintains friendly ties with the US and Iran and has previously been a go-between for the two feuding countries. A close ally of Saudi Arabia – which has not yet commented on the UAE-Israel accord – Bahrain hosted a senior Israeli official at a security conference in 2019 as well as a US-led conference on boosting the Palestinian economy as part US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan.  |
UAE says Israel deal not aimed at Iran
Rouhani had said the UAE made a "huge mistake" in reaching the deal.
