UAE should refrain from singing Zionist tune: Rezaei

Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council advises the officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against singing the same tune as Zionist regime of Israel and to avoid hasty measures.

Mohsen Rezaei made the remarks on Saturday in reaction to the UAE protesting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent visit to Iranian island of Abu Musa.

“The President’s trip to the Iranian island of Abu Musa to visit Iranian citizens was the right thing to do,” Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.

Rezaei stated that UAE officials appear to be abusing Iran’s friendship and brotherhood, adding, “If they think Iran has become weak, [they] are mistaken. Today, Iran is very strong and will crush any [act of] aggression.”

“Emirati officials had better apologize to Iran and not be dragged onto the same path as the Zionists because the region needs tranquility, peace and cooperation. If they have any objections, they can politely convey their objection to the Iranian government via diplomatic channels,” Rezaei said.

He went on to say that the UAE has been issuing statements on three Iranian islands – Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa – for years.

“The UAE government sometimes uses a fake name for the Persian Gulf, but Iran continues its friendship and collaboration with the UAE with patience and by ignoring such wrong behavior,” he added.

Rezaei said the UAE government has apparently misunderstood Iran’s friendship or is trying to appease foreign parties due to pressures.

“It would better for the UAE government to maintain honest and friendly relations with Iran and not repeat its [earlier] mistake of cooperating with [Iraq’s former dictator] Saddam Hussein,” he concluded.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Abu Musa Island on Wednesday as part of his tour of the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

Following the visit, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan criticized President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the Iranian island as a “violation of the UAE sovereignty over its territories.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday described President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the island as “an internal affair which has been made in the framework of his provincial tours.”

The Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa have historically been part of Iran, the proof of which can be found and corroborated by countless historical, legal and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. The UAE has repeatedly laid claim to the islands.