The remarks come after a US-Israeli delegation lands in Abu Dhabi on Monday on the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv
TEHRAN – Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday criticised the United Arab Emirates in a strongly worded statement for its decision to normalise relations with Israel.
“The #UAE betrayed the world of Islam, the Arab nations, the region’s countries, and #Palestine,” Khamenei said, according to his official Twitter account.
“Of course, this betrayal won’t last long but the stigma will stay with them,” he added in a series of tweets.
It was Khamenei’s first reaction to the agreement between the UAE and Israel that US President Donald Trump announced on August 13. On August 14, the Iranian foreign ministry had denounced the deal as an act of “strategic stupidity”.
Khamenei’s remarks came after a US-Israeli delegation landed in Abu Dhabi on Monday on the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv to mark the normalisation of ties, with Saudi Arabia allowing the flight to cross its airspace.
The UAE downgraded its relations with Iran in January 2016 amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
-Agencies
