Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) betrayed the Islamic world and Palestine by normalizing relations with Israel.
“Of course, the UAE’s betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to have a foothold in the region and forgot Palestine,” Khamenei said, according to Reuters. “The Emiratis will be disgraced forever for this treachery against the Islamic world, Arab nations and Palestine.”
President Donald Trump announced Aug. 13 that the U.S. had brokered a peace deal between the UAE and Israel. The two countries announced a plan for integrating their economies and the UAE formally ended its boycott on Israeli goods Saturday.
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Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, joined U.S. and Israeli officials Monday on the first official Israeli flight to the UAE, according to NPR. The delegation is set to advance the Aug. 13 deal and fully normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Khamenei condemned the meeting between the three countries. “The UAE along with Israelis and evil Americans like the Jewish member of Trump’s family are working together against the interests of the Islamic world,” Khamenei said. (RELATED: Iranian Government Releases Anti-Semitic ‘Final Solution’ Poster)
The deal was the first to be reached between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years and was created in part due to a mutual concern over Iran, Reuters reported. The deal has also worried Palestinian leaders who fear it could hinder their desire to create an independent state.
“I hope Emiratis wake up and compensate for what they did,” said Khamenei.
UAE Foreign Ministry official Jamal Al-Musharakh responded to Khamenei’s statement during a press conference Tuesday, according to Reuters. “The path to peace and prosperity is not paved with incitement and hate speech,” he told reporters in Abu Dhabi.