The UAE, in addition to SA and Bahrain, has supported Trump’s decision to pull out from the nuclear deal with Iran. Followers did know it was a wise decision because the UAE knew the negative sides of the agreement.
The UAE blessed this agreement in 2015, so why is it today supporting the US withdrawal from it?
The US intends to pull out from the agreement because it does not meet its strategic goals. Trump’s withdrawal means that the agreement involves gaps that must be avoided to ensure global security and stability.
The UAE approved the nuclear agreement in 2015. Agence France-Presse quoted an Emirati official source on 13 July 2015 saying that the deal between Iran and the major countries is an opportunity to open up a new page concerning regional relations. Iran has to review its policy and not interfere in the internal affairs of regional countries, added the source. This position is the position of the UAE since the signing of the agreement and so far. The direct reason for changing UAE’s position is that the previous US administration had propagated the agreement as a key step to achieve regional stability. But the mullahs’ regime took this as a green light to spread chaos in the region. Looking back at the Iranian regional behaviour before and after 2015 makes it clear the mullahs took the deal as a pretext to spread their bullying. Tehran considered the truce with the US an excuse to spread its influence in the region with no respect to international law. Iran violated the sovereignty of neighbouring countries – Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The mullahs went far to interfere in other countries by sending money and inciting sectarian conflicts.
The deal did not attain the former US administration’s goal. The Obama administration sought to achieve President Obama’s personal glory without delving deeply into Iran’s regional threat. It focused on averting conflict with Iran at the expense of the GCC’s security. This does not mean that Trump considers the GCC’s security an essential motive for his decision. The main reason behind Trump’s decision is that the mullahs threaten Israel’s security. Iran’s strategic influence in Syria hinders the US’s prestige in the Middle East.
The UAE approved the deal thinking that the mullahs’ regime will seek regional stability. This is the spirit of such agreements. But Iran took advantage of it to achieve its interests. Tehran breached the sovereignty of other countries. The mullahs boasted the occupation of four Arab capitals, promising to occupy the fifth. Despite its growing influence and power to implement bigger plans than Iran, the US does not boast or speak about it.
At that time, the Emirati leadership sent a message to Rouhani hoping that this agreement will contribute to strengthening regional security and stability. Abu Dhabi’s approval for the deal was based on achieving its objectives. The UAE did not think the mullahs will spread chaos and seek to occupy regional capitals one after the other.
The UAE and other countries have supported Trump’s decision recently. They did not assume Iran had bad intentions to achieve through the agreement at that time. They sought to give the mullahs’ regime a new chance and seen the deal as a serious step to denuclearize the Middle East. The Emirati statement assumed that the agreement will prevent nuclear proliferation in the region and without achieving this,serious danger will hit the region and its peoples. It was a conditional approval and was a wonderful position of the UAE diplomacy. The UAE deals in good faith with neighbouring countries. But it has changed its position based on the Iranian aggressive behaviours.
The UAE’s positions are based on a strong analysis of developments in the present and the past.
