UAE: Iran is Continuously Threatening Regional Security

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, accused Iran during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly of acting "continuously" to create insecurity in the region since the nuclear agreement was formed between Iran and six world powers. On October 25, he stated at the UN headquarters, "Contrary to all optimism, Iran has continued its efforts to create insecurity in the region without delay." Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan further mentioned that examples of these efforts include "violent rhetoric, ugly interventions, the creation and arming of militia groups, and the development of ballistic missile programs, despite its dangerous role in supporting terrorism." The accusation of "state-sponsored terrorism" is one that has been leveled against Iran by the United States, leading to sanctions that continue alongside accusations of ballistic missile development, separate from the nuclear agreement. Iran has denied the accusation of supporting terrorism and has accused America's allies in the region of doing so. Tehran claims its missile program is "defensive." In his sharp criticisms of Tehran, the UAE Foreign Minister stated, "Regional interventions in Arab countries' affairs are generally carried out only by Iran." According to this senior Emirati official, Iran is "the only country that has called for the export of revolution in its constitution." Before the UAE Foreign Minister, the Saudi Foreign Minister, a regional ally of the UAE, had also leveled similar accusations against Tehran in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, stating that the relationship between Iran and the region has been in crisis since the Iranian revolution. Adel al-Jubeir's note was in response to sharp criticisms from Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, in the New York Times. Zarif described Wahhabism as a major factor in the formation of terrorist groups and accused Saudi Arabia of using the "Iran card" to encourage its allies to participate in the wars in Syria and Yemen. In his speech on Saturday, the UAE Foreign Minister stated that some Arab countries in the region, such as Yemen, Iraq, or Syria, have been engulfed in "regional conflicts" and that "international joint efforts must focus on fundamentally resolving these conflicts." The United Arab Emirates is among the countries that have reduced their relations with Iran following recent crises between Tehran and Riyadh, including the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, the attack on its embassy in Tehran, and the severing of relations by Saudi Arabia. In another part of his remarks, the UAE Foreign Minister again criticized the "Countering Terrorism Supporters" bill in the U.S. Congress in support of Saudi Arabia. The Emirati minister's reference is to a proposal that could allow the families of victims of the September 11 attacks to sue the Saudi government. Currently, Barack Obama has vetoed this proposal, and a re-vote on it is likely to take place soon.