United Arab Emirates
United Arab EmiratesiStock

The Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, on Sunday urged the United Arab Emirates to revise its ties with Israel following the agreement normalizing relations between the countries.

“In a situation in which all the freedom-seeking people in the world express disgust over relationship with the Zionist regime, it is regrettable that a neighbor of the Islamic Republic announces normalization of ties with this child-killing regime,” Bagheri said, according to the Tehran Times.

He noted that as a Muslim country, such relationship is not acceptable for the UAE.

“We advise the United Arab Emirates to revise its decision before it is too late and avoid continuing a path which is harmful to regional security,” the top general noted.

“Tehran’s approach to the UAE will change ... If something happens in the Persian Gulf region and if our national security is damaged, however small, we will hold the UAE responsible for that and we will not tolerate it,” Bagheri continued.

Last Thursday, after the agreement was announced, senior Iranian official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denounced it and said it will not secure peace in the region.

"UAE's new approach for normalizing ties with fake, criminal Israel doesn't maintain peace & security, but serves ongoing Zionists' crimes," he tweeted.

"Abu Dhabi's behavior has no justification, turning back on the Palestine cause. With that strategic mistake, UAE will be engulfed in Zionism fire," added Amir-Abdollahian.

On Sunday, the UAE summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Abu Dhabi to protest "threats" by the Islamic Republic's president over the Emirati decision to normalize ties with Israel.

The meeting took place a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the UAE's decision to normalize ties was a "big mistake" and warned "against opening the path of Israel to the region".

Without expanding on what that would mean, he said it "would be another story and they will be dealt with in another way," Iran's Mehr news agency reported.