Iran's reaction to the August 13, 2020 announcement of UAE-Israel normalization was harsh condemnation and threats to the UAE. Iranian officials, headed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called the UAE rulers "traitors to the Islamic ummah and Palestine" and "partners in the crimes of the Zionist regime," and accused them of opening the Gulf to the Israelis.
Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, chairman of the Islamic Revolutionary Committee for the Support of Palestine, said that Tehran saw the move as a threat to Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that "the UAE's gross betrayal of the collective goal of the Islamic ummah... will lead it to share the fate of others who betrayed the pure blood of the martyrs."
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, aide to the Majlis speaker, advised the UAE rulers to recall what happened to the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated after signing the Israel-Egypt peace agreement, and added that the response to any incident initiated by the Mossad in Iran or in the region would also include the UAE, not just Israel. Like others, Amir-Abdollahian warned other countries – the Shi'ite-majority Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which has a large Shi'ite minority – not to follow in the UAE's footsteps, because that would create domestic crises endangering their regimes. In addition, Iranian officials appealed to international institutions and organizations to thwart the UAE-Israel normalization initiative.
The following are the main points of statements by Iranian officials regarding the UAE-Israel normalization:
Supreme Leader Khamenei: The UAE's Move "Is A Betrayal Of The Islamic World, The Arab World, The Countries In The Region, And The Important Palestinian Cause"
In a September 1, 2020 speech, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that he considered "the UAE government's move to normalize relations with the Zionist regime a betrayal of the Islamic world, the Arab world, the countries in the region, and the important Palestinian cause. Clearly this situation will not last for long, but this mark of shame will remain on the forehead of those who forgot the plundering of the country [of Palestine] and the uprooting of the Palestinian people [from its land], and gave the Zionists a foothold in the region. We hope that the UAE elements will awaken as soon as possible and will back down from this."[1]
To view Khamenei's speech on MEMRI TV click here or below:
On September 1, Khamenei tweeted: "... [T]he UAE acts in agreement with the Israelis & filthy Zionist agents of the U.S. – such as the Jewish member of Trump's family – with the utmost cruelty against the interests of the World of Islam." The tweet included the hashtag #UAEStabsMuslims.
Twitter.com/khamenei_ir, September 1, 2020.
Iranian President Rouhani To UAE: "This Is A Betrayal Of The Ideal Of The Palestinian People, The Muslims, And Jerusalem"; We Warn The UAE Rulers "Not To Open The Door Of The Region To Israel"
At the August 15 meeting of the National Headquarters for the Fight Against the Coronavirus, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed: "During these days, we have encountered a neighboring country [the UAE] that has, most unfortunately, drawn close to the enemy of the Islamic world, the enemy of the region, and the murderer of the Palestinian people [i.e. Israel], and has decided to establish relations with the Zionist regime. This is a Muslim country, and there are religious people in it, and very good people in it, but the rulers have gone in the wrong direction, and think that America or the Zionist regime will give them security and that their economy will grow. This is an absolute mistake...
"In our view, this is a mistaken deed, and sentenced to 100% condemnation. This is a betrayal of the ideal of the Palestinian people, the Muslims, and Jerusalem... Unfortunately, the UAE has made a very great mistake, and we hope that they will back down from this mistake and notice that it is the wrong path. It is not in the interest of the rulers nor of their personal security. We warn them not to open the door of the region to Israel, [because if they do] they will be accountable [to us] and they will [henceforth] be treated differently [by us]. They must take care; so far, [they] have made a huge mistake and committed a treacherous act, and we hope that they will awaken and not continue down this wrong path that has been created."[2]
Iranian Armed Forces Chief Of Staff Mohammad Bagheri: "If There Is Any Incident, No Matter How Small, In The Persian Gulf, And Iranian National Security Is Harmed... We Will Consider The UAE [Responsible] And Will Not Stand For It"
At a coordination meeting of armed forces commanders and national media directors, Iranian Armed Forces Chief Of Staff Mohammad Bagheri said: "We are facing a great tragedy – the creation of a relationship between the UAE regime and the Zionist regime, that massacres children. This is extremely unfortunate. While the free men of the world hate and distance themselves from friendship with the Zionist regime, Iran's neighbor shamelessly announces that it is in contact with this regime, that massacres children. This is unfortunate, because the Zionist regime is fighting for its survival...
Chief of Staff Bagheri (Source: ISNA, Iran, August 16, 2020)
"It is completely unacceptable for the UAE, as an Arab and Muslim country, to create such a relationship, a political and economic relationship, with the regime that invades the Muslims' first direction [of prayer, that is, Jerusalem], that uproots, kills, and imprisons the Palestinian people, and that will announce this publicly. The Iranian nation's approach to this neighboring country will definitely change essentially, and Iran's military forces will look upon it with different calculations. If there is any incident, no matter how small, in the Persian Gulf, and Iranian national security is harmed [no matter how] minimally, we will consider the UAE [responsible] and will not stand for it. We recommend, before it is too late, that the UAE reconsider its decision and not go down a path that harms the security of the region and its own state, which is unacceptable."[3]
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Aide To Majlis Speaker: "The Response To Any Incident By The Mossad Espionage Service And Its Branches, Covert Or Overt, That Takes Place In Iran Or In The Region, Will Also Include The UAE"
In a September 7 interview on Iran's Al-'Alam TV, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, aide to the Majlis speaker, demanded that the UAE reverse its normalization with Israel and warned that any incident by Israel, in Iran or in the region, would prompt a response that would include also the UAE. Advising the UAE rulers to remember the fate of the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, assassinated in 1981 for signing a peace agreement with Israel, he also warned Bahrain not to go down the same path as the UAE, because it would bring about a domestic crisis that would destabilize its regime.
The following are the main points of Amir-Abdollahian's statements in the interview, as published by ISNA on September 7:
"These glass towers, dozens of stories high, in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have caused several delusions among Abu Dhabi officials. This delusion has caused the UAE to enter into the Yemen war and arrive at an arrangement with the Zionists.
"The pressures by America and the Zionist [regime] are what caused the UAE to become convinced [and to agree to] such humiliation, and to betray the ummah and the ideal of Palestine... The arrogance of the UAE in its relations with the Zionist regime is also one of the reasons [for the agreement], because the UAE thinks that if it joins with America and the Zionist regime, it will be able to play a more active role in the region...
"I really want to tell [Abu Dhabi Crown Prince] Mohammad bin Zayed, and all the UAE officials, not to act in their foreign policy in accordance with delusions, but rather [in accordance with] facts. They must look each time at the map, and pay attention to the size of their neighbors, and also look at [the size of] the UAE, and balance their foreign policy in accordance with their capabilities, position, and strength, and [adopt] a friendly view vis-à-vis the[ir] neighbors, and not sell the[ir] neighbors and Palestine to America and the plundering Zionists.
"I believe that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are implementing the Yemen plan of the Zionist lobby and of America, [who] aim to divide Yemen – that is, they [the Saudis and the Emiratis] have become agents of Britain, America, and the Zionists... The Saudis and the Emiratis will see that the Americans, with all their claims, will leave Western Asia [i.e. the Middle East] shamefacedly in the not-too-distant future. The future of Yemen will absolutely be chosen by the Yemeni people and all the Yemeni parties and groups, and not by other, foreign actors.
"The UAE has had good achievements in commerce and the economy in our region, but it has made a strategic mistake in dealing with regional issues in military ways... We invite the Emiratis to try to play a constructive and positive role – to turn over a new leaf – in the region, and to think about the region's security, friendship, neighborliness, and cooperation. The [UAE's] big mistake was to ally with the cancer of the region, the Zionist entity. This can be a very bad future for the UAE. The Palestinians will not remain silent about this betrayal by the UAE...
"I advise my friends in the UAE to examine the fate of Anwar Sadat, and to correct their behavior according to the ideals of the Muslims and of Palestine... In any event, I think that they were misled by the secret contacts of the Zionist regime, and, of course, the American pressure, [and thus] made such a mistake. I believe that [Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister and Vice President] Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum [will not repeat] Mohammad bin Zayed's mistake and will act more wisely. There are other people in the UAE administrative body who can correct this strategic mistake and reverse this mistaken path.
"[Regardless of any] considerations that the UAE might have had, the UAE might upset its security and stability, because wherever the Israelis set foot, they upset security and stability. [With this agreement], the UAE is endangering the Persian Gulf and the energy traffic from the region. In this way, the UAE is endangering the security of its neighbors, including Iran. From the moment the UAE announced that it was normalizing relations [with Israel], the response to any incident by the Mossad espionage service and its branches, covert or overt, that takes place in Iran or in the region, will also include the UAE...
"The Zionists are seeking normalization with Arab countries, and want to gain broad access to the Arab-Islamic countries in the region, and to carry out the great Zionist plan to immediately divide the region... It can be said that the UAE is not a large country, but the Zionists want to divide it into seven separate states or emirates in their secret negotiations, as they have been working on this plan in recent years against Iran, Iraq, Syria, and even Egypt and Turkey...
"The UAE rulers' heads are spinning politically, which led them to make mistaken decisions and strategic mistakes, and they undertook a mistaken policy based on trial and error that will set the UAE back. If the UAE does not reconsider its relations with the Zionist entity, and its policy vis-à-vis its neighbors and the region, the Zionists, who today entered the UAE under the cover of peace, will set them back decades.
"We hope that the other Arab countries [Saudi Arabia and Bahrain] will not repeat the UAE's mistake, and will pay attention to [its] severe repercussions... If [Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman] Aal Khalifa wants to reveal his secret relationship with the Zionist regime, it will create a new wave of crisis in Bahrain. But unfortunately Aal Khalifa makes decisions under the political influence of America and Saudi Arabia. We hope that he can make an independent decision that will benefit Bahrain and the Bahraini people..."[4]
View Amir-Abdollahian's statements on MEMRI TV here or below:
Amir-Abdollahian: "If The UAE Won't Reconsider, It Will Have Severe Repercussions For The Security Of The UAE And The Region"
Earlier, on September 2, Amir-Abdollahian told Iran's Channel 2: "They [the UAE rulers] have paved the way for Israel to securely transport energy, and therefore they paved the way for Satan to enter the region. The UAE must know that it cannot assure security by endangering the other neighbors in the region...
"In the matter of the UAE, it should be said that America has done much deeper work. By forcing the UAE to submit to the humiliation of betraying Palestine and Jerusalem, America has bought the prestige of the UAE rulers for zero [UAE] dirham. If the Abu Dhabi rulers listen today to the advice of the Leader [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei], and if [any sort of] rationality prevails there, and they back down from this decision, the UAE can expect investments in its country and, in the future, in the region. But if rationality does not prevail, we must know that they are giving the false Israeli regime a foothold in the region, and are playing with its security, while they endanger their own security and that of the region. I am not optimistic regarding the future of this traitorous agreement. We will soon see that the Zionists will bring insecurity to our neighbor, the UAE, and from there the insecurity will spread to the region.
"If the UAE does not make a serious decision, and does not reconsider [its move], it will have grave repercussions for its security and the security of the region, and therefore we have a serious demand to make of it. The UAE officials must hang the maps of the countries of the region on the wall of their room, and look at the maps of the countries around them, and realize where they are situated in the region. Some of the UAE rulers in their glass buildings have become delusional, [and] their decisions are in line with their delusions. Until yesterday, countries that wanted to assure legitimacy for their governments' relations with America and the false Israeli regime [tied] their personal and family interests to the relationship with America, and today the false Zionist regime is added to these.
"In the framework of this agreement, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is acting with the UAE as if a new Zionist settlement has been added to the settlements of occupied Israel, and this is the most humiliating Zionist attitude [ever shown to] any Arab ruler in modern history."[5]
Ayatollah Akhtari, Chairman Of The Islamic Revolutionary Committee For Support Of Palestine: Iran Considers The Zionist Entity's Presence In The Region, Near Iran And The Strait Of Hormuz, To Be A Threat
On August 29, Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, chairman of the Islamic Revolutionary Committee for Support of Palestine, told Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV that "the great crime perpetrated by the UAE against the Islamic nation" by making peace with the "Zionist entity" is in fact an "accursed attempt" to "save Israel's existence." Supreme Leader Khamenei, he noted, said that Israel is in its final days. Akhtari also said that the very presence of the "Zionist entity" in the region, near Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, constitutes a threat to Iran.
View Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari's statements on MEMRI TV here or below:
Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Larijani: "Iran Will Certainly Take Appropriate Steps With Regard To The Recent Agreement Between The UAE And The Zionist Regime"
On September 2, Expediency Council chairman Ayatollah Emoli Larijani warned the UAE rulers: "The attempt to normalize relations with the plundering Zionist regime is pointless and constitutes a great betrayal of the ideals of occupied Palestine and its oppressed people. It is not only a betrayal of the oppressed Palestinian people, but also a betrayal of the Arab countries and the Muslim nations, because the Palestinian ideal is not connected solely to its people, but to the entire Islamic world. The false Zionist regime cannot hold out, and the ramifications of [its] recent agreement with the UAE will absolutely blow back on them, because the path of agreement and normalization with the plundering and false regime is a dead end. Iran will certainly take appropriate steps with regard to the recent agreement between the UAE and the Zionist regime."[6]
Assembly Of Experts And Guardian Council Chairman Ayatollah Jannati: "The Stain Of This Humiliating Compromise [With Israel] Will Remain Forever On The Foreheads Of The Cowardly, Traitorous UAE Rulers"
On August 17, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, chairman of both the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council, condemned the UAE's normalization initiative, stating: "The miserable announcement these days of the UAE's agreement to normalize with the plundering Zionist regime harmed Muslims in the world, and particularly the oppressed Palestinian people.
"This strategic mistake, and the bold betrayal by the UAE rulers, will never be erased from the historical memory and minds of the Muslims and of the world's free peoples, and the stain of this humiliating compromise [with Israel] will remain forever on the foreheads of the cowardly, traitorous UAE rulers. This shameful agreement undoubtedly constitutes... recognition and approval of the crimes of the accursed Israeli regime against the region, and a betrayal of Al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem."
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati (Source: ISNA, Iran, August 17, 2020)
Jannati went on to warn the UAE: "The inalienable divine promise, victory, and the final overcoming [of the enemies of Islam] will be with the group of truth and the party of God, and defeat and destruction will be with the group of the lie and the party of Satan, and this oppression will catch up with them sooner or later."[7]
IRGC: The Agreement "Heralds A Dangerous Future... Particularly For The Residents Of The UAE's Glass Palace"
On August 15, the IRGC released a statement condemning the UAE normalization with Israel. Following are its main points:
"The shameful agreement for normalizing relations between the UAE and the false Zionist government, planned and led by the terrorist and anti-human American regime, is considered one of the greatest historic betrayals of the ideal of Jerusalem and has stabbed a poisoned dagger into the body of the Islamic ummah, particularly the resistance, and into the legitimacy of the oppressed Muslim nation of Palestine.
"This traitorous act has several aims, inter alia giving legitimacy to the false Zionist regime, weakening the Palestinian resistance front, forgetting the issue of Jerusalem and Palestine, and paving the way for the implementation of the Deal of the Century and the New Middle East project, [as well as] creating conditions for the Arab world to expand its relations with the Zionist occupiers. This is a satanic movement that is doomed to failure. Not only will the agreement achieve nothing for the American, Zionist, and Saudi triumvirate, but it will do the opposite – it will accelerate the eradication of the Zionist regime, that massacres children and the establishment of the Palestinians' rights.
"The UAE's gross betrayal of the collective goal of the Islamic ummah has caused the rulers of this country to be hated and the Islamic world and the resistance front that supports the oppressed Palestinian state to be angry at them – which will lead it to share the fate of others who betrayed the pure blood of the martyrs.
"Sooner or later, the UAE rulers will need to wait for the decisive and instructive response of the citizens of this country [Iran] to the historic humiliation caused by the stupidity of their leaders in unveiling the normalization agreement with Israel. This is because they [these citizens], together with the other Muslim and free countries in the world, will not allow Palestine's cry of oppression and [call for] justice, and the ideal of the liberation of Al-Qods [Jerusalem] to be buried in the plethora of psyops and the misleading images of the imperialist and Zionist media.
"The IRGC vehemently condemns the above agreement, and stresses that history has proven that those who seek to compromise and normalize with the plundering and illegitimate Zionist government are the most hated and traitorous criminals in history. America and its supporters inside and outside the region of the Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv agreement must know that this evil deed will not satisfy the interests of the Zionist regime, and, in contrast to the empty expectations of the dream of the New Middle East, [this evil deed] heralds a dangerous future for them, particularly for the residents of the UAE's glass palace."[8]
Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei: "We Are Ready To Make A Definitive Decision If... There Is A Threat Endangering Our Security And The Security Of The Region"
Ali Rabiei, spokesman for Iranian President Rouhani and the Iranian government, also spoke about an Iranian response to the threat posed by the UAE-Israel normalization agreement. He said at an August 18 press conference:
"We are deeply sorry about the irresponsible Abu Dhabi decision, that aims to present the gift of election [victory] to the American president. With this agreement, the Arab UAE has stripped itself of a constructive role in the Islamic world, and permanently set itself under suspicion. Any kind of entrance into the Persian Gulf by the Zionist regime will lead only to instability and insecurity for all the countries in the region.
"When a country does not feel sufficiently responsible for this danger, the other countries are obliged to bear the burden of responsibility and oversight. We are not disregarding any move in the political relations between the UAE and the Zionist regime, and we are ready to make a definitive decision if, due to this toxic relationship, there is any threat that will endanger our security and the security of the region."[9]
Majlis National Security And Foreign Policy Committee: "The Price Of This Operation Will Be Very High For The Rulers And The Deceived Residents Of The Glass Palaces" Of The UAE
On August 23, the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee released a warning to the UAE rulers. Following are its main points:
"The Abu Dhabi rulers must know that this shameful agreement is doomed to failure, and will cost the country very dearly. The Palestinian people and the free peoples in the region will, without a doubt, not remain silent in the face of this operation, and the fire of the rage of the Islamic ummah will spread to the UAE rulers.
"The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee sees this action by Abu Dhabi as a serious threat to the region's interests and security, and warns that any negative consequences of this agreement will fall on Abu Dhabi. There is no doubt that this operation will cost the deceived rulers in their glass palaces [in the UAE] dearly. The American hegemon will also know that its hidden hand in this operation is very obvious, and this failed attempt will accelerate its expulsion from the region."[10]
Majlis Interior Affairs And Councils Committee Spokesman Ali Hadadi: "The UAE Will Itself Be The Recipient Of The Response"
On September 2, Ali Hadadi, spokesman for the Majlis Interior Affairs And Councils Committee, explained: "[Israel and the U.S.] did this in order to weaken the resistance, infiltrate it one way or another, and destroy it from within. As the Leader [Khamenei] stressed, this is a grievous betrayal of the Islamic world, the resistance front, and the pure Islam of Mohammad, and will surely cause irrevocable damage, and the smoke from it will [blow back] into the eyes of the UAE. [But] this operation not only did not weaken the resistance – this front was strengthened by the support of the Muslim forces. Moves like this by the UAE will not only not strengthen the Zionist regime – they will bring it closer to its crash.
"We expect the [Iranian] diplomatic system and foreign ministry to take a firm and clear position in this matter, and to give an effective answer. Iran's stand on this betrayal is clear, and the UAE will itself be the recipient of the response."[11]
Majlis Speaker Qalibaf: "Anyone Planning To Befriend The Zionist Regime Is A Traitor, A Criminal, And An Accomplice" To Its Crimes
Opening the August 16 Majlis session, Majlis speaker Mohammad Baqr Qalibaf said: "The UAE ruling family's humiliating normalization with the criminal Zionist regime is a clear betrayal of human values, the doctrine of Islam, the Muslim ummah, and the Palestinian ideal. The... hypocrisy regarding vis the ideal of the sacred Jerusalem is revealed, and the enemies of humanity and the traitors to the Islamic ummah have shown their true face.
"Anyone planning to befriend the Zionist regime is a traitor, a criminal, and an accomplice in the eyes of the entire Islamic ummah to all [this regime's] evil deeds of the past, the present, and the future. We warn the current traitors, and those who plan to join this evil and inhuman project, that the struggle against the Zionist regime will never stop, and the Islamic ummah and the men of Palestine will continue their resistance day in and day out with full strength and awareness. The clear stand in the column of truth and lie, hypocrites and Muslims, enemies of the criminal Zionist regime and its friends, will undoubtedly strengthen the resistance axis until the sacred Jerusalem is liberated."[12]
Qalibaf: The Normalization Agreement "Is Illegitimate In The Eyes Of The Islamic World, The Human Conscience, The People Who Are Fighting In Palestine, And The Islamic Ummah"
On August 8, 2020, following the announcement of the UAE-Israel normalization agreement, Qalibaf sent a letter to Islamic countries' parliamentary speakers demanding that these countries take action to thwart the initiative. It said:
"As you have seen, a plan for compromise between the UAE and the Zionist regime has been released. It is aimed at weakening all the efforts by the Islamic countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, [and] the Islamic Interparliamentary Union to take practical and serious steps to actualize the inalienable rights of the oppressed in Palestine...
"There is no doubt that only the will of the Palestinian people and the resistance can bring about the liberation of the major and historic territory of Palestine. The agreement encourages the occupiers of the Palestinian territories to continue to occupy and to deny the rights of the Palestinian peoples and to create instability and insecurity in the region. Accordingly, the [UAE-Israel] compromise agreement is illegitimate in the eyes of the Islamic world, the human conscience, the people who are fighting in Palestine, and the Islamic ummah.
"The Majlis vehemently condemns any act that violates the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the compromise between the UAE and the false Zionist regime; it sees this as a strategic mistake by Abu Dhabi; it emphasizes that this is a provocation, encourages continued crimes by the criminal Zionist regime, and is considered a threat to the region's peace and security. Accordingly, there is a need for a conference of the Islamic states, as representative of the Muslim nations, to harshly condemn this act, based on the precepts of Islam.
Qalibaf (Source: Tasnim, Iran, August 18, 2020).
"It is appropriate for you to condemn this un-Islamic act and undertake any parliamentary operations and initiatives in order to oppose and prevent this disgraceful agreement, and for you to preserve the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. Likewise, you should ask your government to use all its regional and international capabilities in unity and solidarity, in order to thwart this political assassination of the true Palestinian, in addition to taking clear and unambiguous positions and condemning the above [agreement]."[13]
[1] Farsi.khamenei.ir/print-content?id=46378, September 1, 2020.
[2] President.ir/fa/116801, August 15, 2020.
[3] ISNA (Iran), August 16, 2020.
[4] ISNA (Iran), September 7, 2020.
[5] Mashregh News (Iran), September 2, 2020.
[6] ISNA (Iran), September 2, 2020.
[7] ISNA (Iran), August 17, 2020).
[8] ISNA (Iran), August 15, 2020.
[9] ISNA (Iran), August 18, 2020.
[10] ISNA (Iran), August 23, 2020.
[11] ISNA (Iran), September 2, 2020.
[12] ISNA (Iran), August 16, 2020.
[13] Tasnim (Iran), August 18, 2020.
