Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have increasingly singled out the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their war messaging, and have warned of stronger strikes against the country if the United States and Israel resume their attacks.
“Our label of ‘neighbours’ with the Emirates has for now been lifted, and the label of ‘hostile base’ has been set for the country,” Ali Khezrian, a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, told state television earlier this week.
The Arab country was also directly referenced in statements issued by the Khatam
al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian armed forces this month, after Iran and the US traded fire over the Strait of Hormuz, despite a ceasefire announced in April.The joint command, led by generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), directly addressed Emirati leaders a week ago, and said they must not turn their country into “the den of Americans and Zionists and their military forces and equipment to betray the world of Islam and Muslims”. It said the UAE’s deepening military, political and intelligence ties with the US and Israel were contributing to regional insecurity, and warned of a “crushing and regret-inducing response” to any more attacks against Iran’s southern islands and ports.
The IRGC has also declared that the UAE’s critical port of Fujairah sits on an area of the Strait of Hormuz over which Iran exerts maritime control, therefore subjecting any ship travelling to or from the port to be in Iran’s jurisdiction. The port was struck earlier this month, but Iran denied responsibility. The UAE, for its part, has repeatedly condemned Iranian attacks and said it reserves the right to respond, including through military means.
It has also terminated visas for Iranians living there for years, and closed down Iranian businesses, trade routes, currency exchange networks, and institutions.
The darkening relations between the two countries have had significant ramifications for Iran, as well, which brought in much of its imports from third markets, including China, through Emirati ports.
Iranian authorities have been trying to replace lost sea routes with land routes through Pakistan, Iraq, Turkiye and other neighbours, as a result of the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports, and subsequent skyrocketing food inflation.
Why has Iran focused on the UAE?
The US military has had a significant presence on the UAE’s soil for years, including in the al-Dhafra airbase located just outside of Abu Dhabi, which holds thousands of US troops and advanced equipment, namely radar and intelligence systems that the IRGC said it targeted during the war. In 2020, the UAE, along with Bahrain and Morocco, signed the Abraham Accords brokered by Washington to normalise relations with Israel.
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to expand the deals, which he brokered during his first presidential term, particularly by persuading Saudi Arabia to join. Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has halted the process for now. Trump has also praised the UAE’s president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as a smart leader who may want to “go his own way” after he pulled the UAE out of OPEC last month.
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, Israel and the UAE have quickly expanded military and intelligence cooperation, and Israel’s weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems has established a subsidiary in the Gulf country…
Source: aljazeera.com/news
