United Arab Emirates: Iran is main obstacle to peace

A Gulf state diplomat pinpoints the key to peace in the Middle East: ending Iran’s belligerent expansionism.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that Iran’s “hostile and expansionist policy” is the major obstacle to solving all crises in the Arab world.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan accused Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and supporting “terrorist groups,” including Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror group fighting alongside Syrian government forces.

He told the UNGA’s annual ministerial meeting on Friday that Iran is also supporting “terrorist groups and cells” in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Al Nahyan said that “Iran has not only committed blatant violations of the principles of sovereignty, but also continues to exploit the crises in the Arab world to undermine regional security by inciting and fueling conflict.”

He said Iran must realize that the best basis “for a harmonious relationship with the states in the Arab Gulf” is to respect the sovereignty of countries in the region.

The UAE along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain cut all ties to Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

The Emirati minister told the General Assembly: “We have a clear choice with no alternative: to stand against terrorism in all manifestations and to stand against all perpetrators without exception.”

By: AP