Iran on Tuesday accused the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against it and of allowing its territory to be used for attacking Iran’s civilian infrastructure, schools and hospitals during the 16th meeting of BRICS national security advisers in Delhi.
The spat came barely a month after the two countries clashed during a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi. The latest accusations underscore growing tensions between Iran and the UAE despite a ceasefire being reached in the region.
Ghadir Nezamipour, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, rejected the allegations made against the Islamic Republic of Iran by the representative of the UAE in the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting, according to a post on X by the Iranian embassy in India.
Referring to recent developments in the region, Nezamipour said: “The entire world witnessed that the United States and the Zionist regime were the initiators of the aggression and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Part of these attacks were launched from bases located on the territory of the United Arab Emirates.
“Nevertheless, instead of condemning these hostile actions, the UAE directly participated in the aggression and allowed its territory to be used as a platform for attacks against Iran’s civilian infrastructure, schools, and hospitals.”
Nezamipour also warned against the pitfalls of "propaganda and adventurism".
“We hope that the United Arab Emirates, instead of engaging in propaganda and adventurism, will respect the principles of good neighborliness and choose the path of peace, stability, and regional cooperation,” the embassy said in its post.
Nezamipour also displayed an image of the martyred students of Minab to draw participants’ attention to the human consequences of these acts of aggression. “This poster depicts children who were killed on the first day of the aggression against Iran carried out by the United States,” he said.
India-China 'partners'
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called on New Delhi and Beijing to respect each other’s core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, place the boundary issue in its appropriate position, and prevent it from affecting the overall situation of bilateral relations.
Wang, who is in New Delhi to attend the BRICS NSA conference, made the remarks during his meeting with India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval. Both Wang and Doval are the special representatives of the India-China border issue.
“Wang said that as the two economies with the largest populations, China and India should not only view bilateral relations from a long-term perspective but also promote cooperation between the two countries from a global perspective,” a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India said in a post.
Both sides, the post said, should take concrete actions to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote their respective development and revitalisation through cooperation, and accelerate the modernisation process of the Global South.
“It is imperative to respect each other's core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, and place the China-India border issue in an appropriate position, so that it doesn't affect the overall situation of bilateral relations.”
Wang noted that the leaders of the two countries agreed that China and India are partners instead of rivals.
Hormuz opening
Welcoming counterparts from BRICS nations at a key conclave in Delhi, Doval said the opening of the Strait of Hormuz was a positive development as it would help energy security.
Doval said freedom of navigation through the key shipping lane would benefit the countries of the region and beyond. “India welcomes the memorandum of understanding reached between the US and Iran. We have got cautious optimism, and we hope that it will work. It will help energy security,” Doval said. "The opening of the Strait is a very welcome development. It will remove supply chain bottlenecks and (address) shortages in sectors like fertilisers and chemicals.”