At the second session of the BRICS Foreign Ministers meet in New Delhi, Iran issued a sharp rebuttal to the UAE after its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs accused Tehran of attacking the Emirates. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, rejected the allegations and said the UAE had played a substantial role in “supporting and facilitating the military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran”. The Embassy of Iran shared details of his remarks on Thursday.
Gharibabadi argued that a nation contributing to the rise of tensions had no legitimacy to make accusations against Iran. Citing a 1974 United Nations General Assembly Resolution, he said it “makes clear that when countries facilitate and provide services to aggressors, this is not merely assistance; such conduct itself constitutes aggression”. He stated that “Therefore, the UAE is an aggressor, not merely an accomplice to aggression”.
He added that Iran could not remain silent while its population and infrastructure were harmed. Accusing the UAE of cooperating with aggressors, he said, “We are a powerful and great country with a proud nation, and we could not stand by while our people and infrastructure were targeted by aggressors, especially with the participation and cooperation of one of our neighbours, namely the United Arab Emirates.”
Iran defends its military response
According to Gharibabadi, Tehran acted in full conformity with the UN Charter and invoked its right to self-defence. “We had no option but to target all facilities of US bases in the UAE, or any facilities and installations in the UAE in which the United States had a role or participation. This was a war, and in that war we defended our country. This action was fully consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and within the framework of the inherent right of self-defence. The UAE is an aggressor. You cannot hide behind these lies and hollow allegations. The only country that must fulfill its obligations under international law is the UAE,” he added.
The Iranian official maintained that Iran had already warned regional nations, including the UAE, about potential attacks from the United States and Israel and had cautioned them against supporting the “aggressors”. He said their senior officials were fully aware of the dangers yet chose to ignore the warnings.
Iran alleges huge civilian impact
Gharibabadi accused the UAE of enabling assaults that led to thousands of deaths. He said, “With your assistance and participation, and through the UAE’s direct involvement in the aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, 130,000 civilian targets were attacked by the aggressors. More than 4,000 innocent civilians have been martyred.” He insisted the UAE could not evade accountability by presenting false narratives.
He also revealed that Iran had submitted over 120 diplomatic notes to the United Nations Security Council, amounting to more than 500 pages. He added that every warplane departing from UAE territory had been recorded with exact timestamps and flight paths.
Iran urges BRICS to confront US pressure
Notably, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called for a united stand against what he described as American intimidation. Addressing the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, he said such practices must be pushed into the “dustbin of history”. He noted that many countries in the room had experienced “slight variations of the same repugnant coercion” and urged BRICS members to respond in a stronger and collective manner.
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