A top military adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United Arab Emirates has turned into headquarters for the US operations against Iran. "Abu Dhabi has turned into an American center to harm our national security," Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan told Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
He also warned that any US war against Iran would mean war against Iran and all its allies throughout the Middle East, adding "all US military bases and forces in the region would be targeted, if Washington took the decision to go to war." Dehqan further cautioned the UK about the possible ramifications of its calls for a European force to allegedly escort tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
"The UK's proposal for a European force in the Strait of Hormuz could lead to unpredictable consequences [for London].
Our equation in the Strait of Hormuz is that either everyone enjoys full security or no one does," he reiterated.
Iran has denied the claim.
'Iran ready to form coalition with neighbors for regional security' In another part of the interview, Dehqan announced Iran's readiness to form a coalition with its neighbors over regional security.
He noted that the UAE has sent several missions to Iran for peace talks, adding "this U-turn is the result of their [Saudi and UAE officials] defeats in the region." "It is wise that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are talking about ending the war in Yemen and it is because of their defeats," Dehqan concluded. An unnamed senior Emirati official told reporters on July 8 that the UAE — Saudi Arabia’s main ally in the war on Yemen — was planning a troops drawdown in what was claimed to be a shift from a military strategy to a “peace” plan instead.
Leading a coalition of its allies, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the former regime, which had been friendly to Riyadh, but whose officials fled the country. The aggression is estimated to have left 56,000 Yemenis dead.