Iran’s supreme leader denounces UAE’s recognition of Israel

An official stands at the door of an Israeli El Al airliner after it landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The Star of David-adorned El Al plane landed in Abu Dhabi after flying in from Israel, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates. The Israeli flag carrier’s flight Monday marks the implementation of the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two nations. (Nir Elias/Pool Photo via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader has called the United Arab Emirates’ recognition of Israel “treason that will not last for long,” the state media in Iran reported on Tuesday.

The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei come just as a joint U.S.-Israeli delegation wrapped up a trip to Abu Dhabi on the first Israeli commercial air flight between the nations.

Khamenei said the “treachery” was committed against the entire Islamic world and the Palestinians.

Both Israel and the UAE view Iran with suspicion.

Jared Kushner and U.S. officials visited a major American airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, speaking to Emirati pilots on the tarmac, near the advanced F-35 fighter jets that the UAE hopes to buy as it normalizes relations with Israel.

The visit to Al-Dhafra Air Base by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law came just before the El Al flight that had brought the U.S.-Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi was set to depart.

The U.S. delegation arrived in the UAE on an El Al plane on Monday in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries. The flight followed an agreement brokered by the Trump administration last month that saw the two countries establish diplomatic relations.

While at the base near Abu Dhabi, Kushner and U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien met Emirati Maj. Gen. Falah al-Qahtani, a top defense official.

“The reputation of the Emirati armed forces has gone worldwide,” O’Brien said as journalists listened. “It is one of the most capable forces in the world and we are proud to partner with you and serve side by side with you.”

O’Brien added that the U.S. expected a “significant security aspect” in the Israel-UAE normalization, without elaborating. Journalists also toured a joint command center run by both the U.S. and the UAE at the site.

Kusher, not wearing a facemask amid the coronavirus pandemic, shook hands with the U.S. and Emirati pilots gathered for the event. He also left a written message at the base.

“May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, will benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond!” he wrote.

The journalists’ visit to Al-Dhafra shows the change in the relationship between the Emirates and the U.S., which established defense deals with the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, amid the 1991 Gulf War. Emirati special forces deployed to Afghanistan after the 2001 American-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

But the U.S. military for years only vaguely referred to Al-Dhafra as a base in “southwest Asia.” In recent years, the UAE has been far more willing to acknowledge the U.S. presence here and elsewhere in a country that hosts some 5,000 American troops. Dubai’s Jebel Ali port also is the U.S. Navy’s busiest port of call outside of America.

Al-Dhafra has hosted the F-35 for years, as well as surveillance aircraft, armed drones, and refueling planes. The American delegation’s visit to the base during the tour suggests the F-35 sale remains a key part of the deal.

The UAE has touted the normalization deal as a tool to force Israel into halting its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for their future state. It also may help the Emiratis acquire advanced U.S. weapons systems that have been previously unattainable, such as the F-35 fighter jet. Currently, Israel is the only country in the region with the stealth warplanes.

The Palestinians, however, have fiercely opposed the normalization as peeling away one of their few advantages in moribund peace talks with Israel. Palestinians have held public protests and burned the UAE flag in anger.