UAE denies Israel recognition deal aimed at pressuring Iran
The United Arab Emirates has denied that its recognition agreement with Israel is aimed at Iran.
The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Monday that the agreement to normalise ties with Israel was a "sovereign decision" and rejected criticism from Iran over the deal.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday said the UAE had made a "huge mistake" in reaching a agreement to normalise ties with Israel and called it a betrayal by the Gulf state.
Both the UAE and Israel have long been seen as part of a Middle East axis opposed to Iranian influence in the region.
The UAE on Sunday said it had summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Abu Dhabi and given him a "strongly worded memo" in response to Rouhani's "unacceptable" speech.
"The UAE-Israeli peace treaty is a sovereign decision not directed at Iran. We say this and repeat it. We do not accept interference in our decisions," Gargash said on Twitter.
The secretary general of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday condemned "threats" by Rouhani and other Iranian officials towards the UAE over the accord.
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