From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 18, 2026
After news of Netanyahu’s wartime visit to UAE, Iran warns against cooperation with Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
In the wake of Israeli claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates during the war against Iran, Tehran warns “some countries in the region” against cooperation with Israel.
“The fact that there have been many exchanges between the Zionist regime and some countries in the region is not hidden from our view,” says Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
“The countries of the region, including the UAE, should learn from what happened in the last two or three months,” says Baghaei.
The contacts “have emboldened the Zionists in committing crimes, in genocide in Gaza, in the continuation of military aggression in Lebanon,” he insists.
The UAE denies that any such visit occurred.
“They saw that the military presence of the US and the Zionist regime in the region does not bring security, it brings insecurity for all countries in the region,” Baghaei says.
Arguing that the prosperity of Middle Eastern countries is harmed by cooperation with the US and Israel, Baghaei calls on them “to take control of their own land. They have made their resources available to the aggressors.”
He insists that Iran has “no enmity with any of the countries in the region.”
“We are and will be permanent neighbors with all countries in the region, including the UAE,” says Baghaei.
The UAE has been the country most targeted by Iran since the outbreak of war on February 28. On Sunday, a drone strike targeted the UAE’s sole nuclear power plant, sparking a fire.
The Times of Israel Community.