The United Arab Emirates' agreement to normalize ties with Israel was a "sovereign decision" that was not directed at Iran, UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said Monday.
The UAE Sunday said it had summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Abu Dhabi and given him a "strongly worded memo" in response to a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the foreign ministry described as "unacceptable".
Speaking Saturday, Rouhani said the UAE had made a "huge mistake" in reaching a agreement to normalize ties with Israel and called it a betrayal by the Gulf state.
The US-sponsored deal has been seen as firming up opposition to regional power Iran, which Gulf states, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.
"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 Sunday condemned "threats" by Rouhani and other Iranian officials towards the UAE over the accord.
Reuters
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