The BRICS meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday saw Iran and the UAE engage in a war of words, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi openly accusing the Emirates of being "an active partner in the war".
A report that appeared in Iranian state media quoted Araghchi as saying: “I didn't name the UAE in my (BRICS) statement for the sake of unity? But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn't even issue a condemnation."
"The Emiratis allowed their territory to be used to fire artillery and equipment against us. The UAE is an active partner in the war against us, and there is no doubt about that,” Araghchi said.
His statement came in response to a comment made by the Emirati representative. However, it is unclear whether the UAE responded to the charges.
Not just Araghchi, Iranian Deputy Minister of Legal and International Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, too attacked the Emirates in a fierce tone. In a curt tone, Gharibabadi said Iran had no choice but to attack all facilities of American bases in the UAE. Iranian media claimed Gharibabadi’s statement was a response to the UAE’s “ false claims regarding Iranian attacks on the country and the introduction of Iran as an aggressor”.
Gharibabadi also attacked the UAE representative, calling him “ignorant” before adding: “You may be an ignorant person, but your country's top officials were definitely aware of this. You ignored these warnings and are now trying to play the role of a victim, while the real victim is the Islamic Republic of Iran, not the United Arab Emirates."
He added that Iran had no choice but to attack all the facilities of the US bases in the UAE. “This was a war, and we defended our country in that war. This action is strictly in accordance with the UN Charter and within the framework of the right of self-defence. The UAE is an aggressor. You cannot hide behind these lies and false claims. The only country that should act according to its obligations under international law is the UAE," he said.
The Iranian diplomat stated that Iran had sent official messages to the countries of the region, including the United Arab Emirates, before the start of the war. “We warned them that if they aid the aggressor and provide their territory and facilities to the aggressor, Iran would have no choice but to exercise its right to legitimate defence and target these facilities to defend its country," he added.
Gharibabadi continued: "With your help and participation, and with the direct involvement of the UAE in the aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, one hundred and thirty thousand civilian targets were attacked by the aggressors. More than four thousand innocent civilians have been martyred. Now you cannot hide behind these false claims that are contrary to the facts on the ground. You are the aggressor; therefore, you cannot accuse Iran of aggression."
He added that Iran had documentation of every warplane that had flown from the Emirates, including its time, date, and flight path. “All this evidence has been sent to the United Nations Security Council; therefore, you cannot claim that you had no role in this aggression. You helped the aggressor and, in fact, you were part of the aggression yourself,” he said.
The UAE foreign ministry is yet to release the details of the meeting.
However, the spat has prompted Iranian media to raise doubts as to whether India will be able to issue a final statement about the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting.
