The United Arab Emirates and Jordan on Sunday both condemned the assassination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist, which has been blamed on Israel.
UAE, Jordan condemn top Iranian nuclear scientist's assassination
STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 30, ARTSAKHPRESS:“The Emirates condemns the crime of the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. It calls all sides to practice the greatest possible restraint so as to avoid dragging the region to new levels of instability and threats to peace,” its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, The Times of Israel reports.
Meanwhile, Jordan also condemned the killing and called for collective efforts to avoid an escalation in tensions in the Middle East region, Reuters cited Jordanian state media as saying.
Israel and the UAE recently established diplomatic relations, a deal touted as having been accelerated by the countries’ shared concerns over Iran.
While Abu Dhabi is part of a regional bloc that opposes the spread of Iranian influence, the United Arab Emirates has occasionally taken a softer line on Tehran than its neighbors. In February 2020, Emirati State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told Saudi TV that the UAE supported de-escalation with Iran with an eye toward a political settlement.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran have close economic ties and maintain embassies in one another’s countries. Saudi Arabia evacuated its own diplomatic mission in 2016, when an Iranian mob attacked the embassy following the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.
The condemnation by the UAE came hours after an Israeli television report said Israel is concerned Iran could attack Israeli tourists visiting the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the assassination.
