Bloomberg, July 7, 2010 — Iran said it may bar trips to the neighboring United Arab Emirates after the U.A.E.’s envoy to the U.S. was quoted as saying his country supports military action against Iranian nuclear facilities.
The U.A.E. should clarify whether the ambassador’s “foul” comments are government policy, said KazemJalali, the spokesman for the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, according to the state-run Mehr news agency. The U.A.E. Foreign Ministry later said the envoy’s comments had been taken out of context.
Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba said an attack on Iran may be necessary if sanctions fail to halt the country’s nuclear program, and that the U.A.E. would be willing to weather a domestic backlash against such military action, the Washington Times reported, citing remarks the diplomat made yesterday at an event in Aspen, Colorado.
The U.S.-allied Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf share concerns about Iran’s influence in the region and the threat should it become a nuclear power. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said in February that sanctions were a long-term solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute and his country wanted an “immediate” resolution.
“If you are asking me, ‘Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear Iran?’ my answer is still the same: ‘We cannot live with a nuclear Iran,’” the Washington Times quoted al-Otaibi as saying, referring to domestic protests that might result from a strike on Iran.
Trade and Tourism
Jalali said tours to the U.A.E. may be suspended “to guard the reputation of the Iranian people,” as Iranians visiting the country were not being treated well. He said spending by Iranian tourists has helped prevent a worse economic crisis in the U.A.E. and especially Dubai, which saw trade with Iran reach $12 billion in 2008.
U.A.E. Deputy Foreign Minister Tareq Al-Haidan said the comments attributed to al-Otaiba were inaccurate. “These comments came as part of general discussions held on the sidelines of an unofficial gathering and were taken out of their context,” he said in a statement carried by the official WAM news agency.
The U.A.E. rejects the use of force as a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, he said, though it believes in the need to keep the Gulf region free of atomic weapons.
An Iranian business leader yesterday accused the U.A.E. of going beyond United Nations sanctions imposed last month on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
Frozen Accounts
“We don’t like the behavior of the Emiratis,” said MasoudDaneshmand, head of the Iran-U.A.E. Chamber of Commerce. “They’re implementing things that are not required by the United Nations Security Council sanctions and Iranian businessmen don’t like it.”
The U.A.E.’s central bank asked financial institutions in the federation to freeze 41 accounts of Iranian individuals and companies in compliance with United Nations Security Council sanctions, Emirates Business 24/7 reported on June 28, citing a bank circular. There was no immediate response to a telephone call and an e-mail to the central bank seeking details of the list yesterday.
Iran has denied allegations from the U.S. and some of its allies that the nuclear program may be intended for weapons development. It says its nuclear work is for civilian purposes and has rebuffed UN demands to suspend production of enriched uranium, which can fuel a reactor or form the core of a bomb.