Deputy FM: US export reward exposes UAE role in anti-Iran onslaught
Iran said a US decision to ease export controls on the United Arab Emirates in recognition of the Arab country’s support for a recent US’s military operation against Iran is a “proof of Abu Dhabi’s disgrace.”
"The US Department of Commerce has published a new document under which it has eased export control regulations and upgraded the UAE's export status as a reward for the country's support for military aggression against Iran," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X on Friday.
Gharibabadi said that the move amounted to "Washington's official admission and a document of Abu Dhabi's disgrace," adding that it carries "international responsibility and direct legal consequences."
“The UAE must be held accountable,” he wrote.
Remarks by the Iranian official came after the US loosened export controls on the UAE, making it easier to export Nvidia AI chips, military equipment, commercial satellites and spacecraft in a boost to relations between the two allies.
“Today, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is announcing that it will significantly upgrade the status of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR parts 730-774) in recognition of the UAE’s status as a US Major Defense Partner and its support in advancing US national security interests, including Operation Epic Fury”, the department said in a statement, referring to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began in February.
In providing the more favorable treatment for certain exports to the UAE, the Commerce Department said the US had worked with the country for decades to counter Iran and what it called “its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” according to Reuters.
Additionally, it noted, the UAE was the largest US trading partner in the Middle East, and that its foreign direct investment in the United States was valued at over $1 trillion.
Under the new regulation, the Commerce Department moved the UAE into a country grouping that allows more license exceptions for military and dual-use items controlled by the department.
The UAE will be the only country in the group that is not a member of multilateral export control regimes. Other countries in the grouping include NATO countries and other allies.
Recent reports had already revealed that the UAE played a far more active role in the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran by carrying out dozens of airstrikes on Iranian territory from the opening days of the war which began on February 28.