Deal with Israel won’t give UAE more security, only benefits Trump – Iran’s Rouhani

The leadership of the United Arab Emirates have made a “huge mistake” by sealing a deal with Israel, the president of Iran has said. He believes they win nothing from it and are only helping Donald Trump on his campaign trail.

President Hassan Rouhani blasted the agreement between the UAE and Israel, which establishes direct diplomatic ties between them and promises a slate of bilateral agreements in near future. It was “a huge mistake, a treacherous act,” the Iranian leader said in a televised address on Saturday.

“They betrayed their own country, Muslims, and Arabs. They think they can provide security for themselves by approaching to the enemies of Islam and Iran. It is a mistake,” he said of the Emirati government.

The UAE-Israel agreement formalizes the tacit alliance that has existed between the two countries for years and is perceived by many observers as founded on their common hostility towards Iran. The UAE was the first among the Gulf monarchies to establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

The fact that the deal was announced by US President Donald Trump, who helped broker it, shows who will benefit most from the development, Rouhani added.

If it weren’t a wrong deal, why was it then announced in a third country, in America? So a gentleman in Washington wins votes, you betray your country, your people, Muslims and the Arab world?

The move was blasted by some nations in the Muslim world, including Turkey. Critics say the UAE has sold off the Palestinian people to Israel, facilitating the planned annexation of their lands.

The text of the agreement states that the annexation would be suspended, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that his government’s plans for West Bank territories have not changed.

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