TEHRAN — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman sharply criticized the United Arab Emirates on Monday for “inappropriate behavior” during the recent war with the United States and Israel, accusing the Persian Gulf Arab state of siding with the aggressors against the Islamic Republic.

Speaking at his weekly news conference in Tehran, the spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said the UAE had taken “negative reaction or retaliatory measures” against Iran and other OPEC members over the past 40 to 50 days. 

“In these 40 to 50 days, we witnessed inappropriate behavior from this country,” Baqaei said. “They accompanied the parties committing aggression against Iran.”

His comments appeared to reflect deepening irritation among Iranian officials with the UAE, which has long maintained close security and economic ties with Washington. Iran has previously accused some Persian Gulf Arab states of allowing the United States to use their military facilities or airspace during the war.

The confrontation between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance has dramatically reshaped the region since late February. The US-Israel war against Iran resulted in the martyr of Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several senior military commanders. Iran retaliated with 100 waves of missile and drone strikes over 40 days, inflicting heavy damage on American and Israeli military positions.

 Baqaei also sought to shut down speculation that Iran and the United States are quietly negotiating the future of Tehran’s nuclear program. He said repeatedly that at this stage, Iran is willing to discuss only one thing: “the cessation and complete termination of the war” imposed by the United States and Israel.

“At this stage, we have no talk about anything else,” he said. “What direction we take in the future will be decided in its own time.”

The spokesman confirmed that Iran has received a US response to Tehran’s proposals, delivered through Pakistan. But he declined to provide details, criticizing Washington’s “endless habit of excessive and unlimited demands.”

He dismissed media reports about possible negotiations over uranium enrichment levels or stockpiles of enriched materials as pure speculation, largely based on the history of previous nuclear talks under the 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

“No final decision has ever been made on any of them,” Baqaei said.

When a reporter for an Arabic television network asked why Iran does not simply back down, given that the United States is a superpower, Baqaei gave a sharp, concise reply.

“We are also a superpower,” he said.

 Baqaei directed harsh criticism at Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who recently said that an agreement between Iran and the United States would require political will from Tehran.

“Do not be very surprised by these remarks,” Baqaei said. “He constantly repeats this proposition and does not pay attention to the realities on the ground.”

The spokesman noted that Grossi had personally witnessed the “warmongering and anti-diplomatic actions” of the United States during two rounds of negotiations. “The problem is exclusively due to the highly destructive performance of the United States,” Baqaei said. “The only obstacle preventing negotiations from reaching a conclusion has been the conduct of the US.”
 

Baqaei confirmed that Lebanon had unilaterally canceled a long-standing visa-waiver agreement for Iranian citizens. He said Iran had taken reciprocal action but had also created special facilities, including immediate visa issuance at entry points, to avoid disrupting travel between the two countries.

He also defended Lebanese Hezbollah against recent criticism from some Lebanese officials who have claimed that the group dragged Lebanon into the war. “Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Lebanese resistance are the pride of this country, the Arab world, and the Islamic Ummah,” he said.

The spokesman condemned Bahrain’s decision to revoke the citizenship of several individuals who had expressed solidarity with Iran during the war. He called the move “completely inhumane” and a punishment that “became obsolete long ago.”

He compared the Bahraini government’s actions to those of Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator, who stripped citizenship from many people on the grounds that they were of Iranian origin. “It was expected that after nearly 60 years, such actions would no longer take place,” Baqaei said. “Human rights organizations must clearly state their positions. This is a violation of the human rights of Bahraini citizens.”

Asked about reports of Iranian military operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Baqaei objected to the use of the word “attacks.” He said Iran has carried out only defensive measures when neighboring soil has been used to plan aggression against it.

“We cannot use the word ‘attack’ for Iran’s defensive measures,” he said. “According to international law, it is Iran’s inherent right to take necessary defensive measures to protect its people and interests.”

 Baqaei also highlighted signs of a rift between the United States and its European allies. He pointed to recent announcements by President Donald Trump about reducing American troops in some European countries, as well as France’s decision not to participate in the US plan for the Strait of Hormuz while pursuing its own proposal with Britain.

“The ill-advised action of the US in attacking Iran has had very extensive consequences, including creating a rift and disagreement among countries that were previously US allies,” Baqaei said. “It is time for European countries to see with courage the result of blindly following US policies and decide to adopt a more independent approach.”

The spokesman said Iran remains in constant contact with Russia and China, countries with which Tehran has strategic partnership treaties. But he emphasized that Iran ultimately relies on its own power.
“The most important guarantee for a country’s rights is that country’s own power,” he said.

Asked about the war in Gaza, Baqaei said the Palestinian people are fighting for their right to self-determination against occupation, apartheid, and genocide. “The Palestinian cause is not just an Islamic one, but a humanitarian one,” he said.

 Baqaei said Iran is still seeking answers from France regarding the killings of two Iranian citizens more than a year ago. He said Iran’s embassy in Paris continues to follow the case, and that a more recent incident in mid-April is also being pursued through diplomatic channels.

“We have a duty to seriously pursue the rights of Iranian nationals anywhere in the world,” he said.