CIREBON NEWS – Tehran doubts Abu Dhabi’s statement that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was in a neutral position during the joint attack by the United States (US) and Israel on Iran.
Iran clearly sees the UAE as facilitating the US military in various attacks. At the same time, the UAE received a secret visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea.
Other facts show that the UAE secretly carried out attacks on Iranian territory, specifically Lavan Island. Even the US supports the UAE to seize Lavan Island which is rich in oil and natural gas.
Also read: This is a list of 50 names of cities and villages in Lebanon that were captured by the Israeli military, and it took 10 hours to evict the residents
The hostility between the UAE and Iran cannot actually be covered up. The UAE has long been a major US partner in the Persian Gulf, a participant in the Abraham Accords with Israel, and an important financial and logistics center in the West’s infrastructure in the region. For this reason, in Iran’s perception, the Emirates are increasingly seen as participants in the anti-Iran coalition.
The main symbol of the dispute remains the issue of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, three islands located near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran took control of the islands in 1971, shortly before the formation of the UAE.
Since then, the UAE considers the islands to be occupied territory and demands that the dispute be resolved through international negotiations or arbitration. For Iran, this problem is over, because Tehran considers the islands as part of its own territory.
Also Read: United States Fighter Jets Attack Missile Sites and IRGC Fast Ships Trying to Place Mines in the Strait of Hormuz
For the UAE, this is an unhealed wound since the birth of the federation and a constant reminder of its strategic vulnerability in the face of its larger neighbors. The possible military scenario around the islands is seen as a direct return to the most painful issues in UAE-Iran relations.
Before the current war, Abu Dhabi tried to maintain good relations with all parties. They need to maintain trade with Iran, ensure security through the US, develop technological and defense cooperation with Israel, and, in their public rhetoric, avoid direct involvement in the conflict.
But after the US and Israel attacked Iran, that balance began to collapse. Media reports emerged about secret contacts between Israeli officials and the UAE leadership at the height of the war. CBS News reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a secret visit to the UAE and met with the country’s president, Mohammed bin Zayed.
Also read: United States recruits ISIS members to fight Iran, a number of militants have been transferred from Syria to Iraq
According to the channel, the meeting took place at the end of March, after the current military escalation had begun. The Israeli side considered the visit as fact, while the UAE publicly denied the report.
The differences themselves became a significant political episode, damaging the image of the Emirates’ neutrality and giving Iran another argument to accuse Abu Dhabi of hidden coordination with West Jerusalem.***
