At Brics security meet in Delhi, Iran accuses UAE of aiding US strikes

A sharp exchange between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has resurfaced at a Brics meeting in New Delhi, with Tehran accusing Abu Dhabi of assisting the United States in military operations against Iran.

The allegations were made by Dr. Ghadir Nezamipour, Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, during the 16th Meeting of Heads of Security Agencies and National Security Advisers of Brics countries.

His remarks were later highlighted by the Iranian Embassy in India in a post on social media platform X.

The latest accusations underscore growing tensions between Iran and the UAE despite a ceasefire being reached in the region. The two countries had also clashed during a Brics foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi last month.

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Iran alleges UAE territory was used

According to the Iranian Embassy's statement, Nezamipour rejected allegations made earlier by the UAE representative and accused both the US and Israel of initiating recent hostilities in the region.

"The entire world witnessed that the United States and the Zionist regime were the initiators of the aggression and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Nezamipour further alleged that some of the attacks against Iran were launched from military facilities located in the UAE. He claimed that instead of condemning the attacks, Abu Dhabi had allowed its territory to be used as a platform for strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

He urged the UAE to abandon what he described as "propaganda and adventurism" and instead pursue a path of regional peace, stability and cooperation.

To emphasise the human cost of the conflict, the Iranian official reportedly displayed an image of students from Minab who, according to Tehran, were killed during the first day of the attacks on Iran.

Not the first clash at Brics

The latest exchange follows a similar confrontation between the two countries during a Brics foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi in May.

At that meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had accused the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against Iran. Iranian state media reported that Araghchi questioned whether close ties with the US and Israel could guarantee the UAE's security.

The diplomatic dispute intensified after reports emerged alleging that the UAE had participated in military actions against Iran.

Regional tensions spill into multilateral forums

The repeated exchanges at Brics meetings highlight how broader West Asia tensions are increasingly finding their way into international and multilateral forums.

While the UAE has rejected accusations of involvement in attacks against Iran, Tehran has continued to raise the issue at high-level international gatherings. The latest remarks in New Delhi suggest that disagreements between the two countries remain unresolved despite calls for dialogue and regional cooperation.