Netanyahu Claims Secret UAE Visit Amid Iran Conflict, UAE Denies

Oil is abundant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed that he secretly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the war with Iran and held talks with its president. Netanyahu's office claimed that the meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed achieved historic success.

However, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has completely denied Netanyahu's claim, calling it baseless. The UAE clarified that its relationship with Israel is not based on any informal arrangement but is within the framework of the officially and publicly declared Abraham Accords.

During the war, Iran attacked several places in the Emirates, and Tehran has been strongly criticizing the UAE for its growing closeness with the US and Israel. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Netanyahu's revelation confirmed information previously collected by Iranian intelligence agencies.

He warned that those who collude with Israel are committing an unforgivable crime and will be held accountable. According to Reuters, Netanyahu and the Emirates' president had a conversation lasting several hours in the oasis city of Al-Ain, near the Omani border.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that Israel has sent its Iron Dome anti-missile batteries to the UAE to counter Iranian attacks. Huckabee stated that the deployment of the Iron Dome was made possible by the Abraham Accords and has strengthened the extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel.

Since the beginning of this war, which started after the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February, the UAE has faced a large number of airstrikes. According to the UAE's Ministry of Defense, its defense system has neutralized 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and over 2,200 drones fired from Iran.

The Wall Street Journal has also claimed that the UAE carried out an airstrike on a refinery in Iran's Lavan Island in early April, which the UAE has not publicly acknowledged so far.

Anwar Gargash, advisor to the UAE President, stated that the UAE is committed to diplomacy but reserves its right to self-defense. He mentioned that the UAE does not want war and is trying to avoid it, adding that Arab-Iran relations in the Gulf region should not be based on conflict.

Currently, although a ceasefire has been in effect between the US and Iran for a month, tensions have not subsided. The price of oil has increased in the global market due to Iran's continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian President Trump has completely rejected Iran's proposal to end the war and lift the blockade, calling it a piece of trash.

Following Trump's comment, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf warned that its armed forces are ready to respond strongly to any attack.