live UAE Rejects Tehran's 'Attempts To Justify' Its 'Terrorist Attacks'

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Top diplomats from BRICS grouping of nations -- including bitter enemies Iran and the United Arab Emirates -- did not issue a joint statement on May 15 after a two-day summit in Delhi.

Tehran had sought to have the grouping of emerging economies condemn the US-Israeli war with Iran and accused the UAE, a US ally, of direct ⁠involvement in military operations against the Islamic republic.

"There were differing views among some members as regards the situation in the West Asia/Middle East region," India said in a statement and outcome document.

BRICS consists of Brazil, ‌Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the UAE.

Tehran has launched missiles and drones at the UAE in retaliation for the US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28. The fighting is mostly paused with the introduction of a cease-fire agreed to by the US and Tehran.

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, on May 11 reported that the UAE had carried out military operations on ‌Iran in early April.

The UAE ⁠did not confirm the report, but on May 16 it said all actions taken came within its framework of defensive measures ⁠aimed at protecting ‌its sovereignty, civilians, and vital infrastructure.

At least six people were killed in a suspected Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state news agency NNA, just hours after the US announced that a cease-fire in the country had been extended for 45 days.

NNA on May 15 said the attack targeted a civil defense center in the Nabatieh district. It added that 22 people were wounded.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

Washington earlier announced that the current cease-fire between Israel and the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia would be extended by 45 days. The cease-fire has been fragile since it was first announced on April 16, with both sides claiming that the other had violated the truce.

A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the EU has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.

Authorities in Lebanese say some 2,900 people have been killed since fighting resumed in early March, including about 200 children.

With reporting by dpa

China's ambassador to the UN on May 15 criticized a proposed US-Bahraini resolution on the ⁠Strait of Hormuz, ⁠that would have demanded that Iran cease attacks and mining in the crucial waterway.

Diplomats have said it is likely to meet vetoes by Russia and China if it comes to a vote. Both countries vetoed a similar US-backed resolution in April, claiming it was biased against Iran.

"We don't think the content is right, and the timing is not right," China's UN envoy,

, said in a video clip posted by the Pass Blue news portal, which focuses on UN news.

"What we need is to urge both sides to engage in serious and good-faith negotiations that can resolve the issue. So passing a resolution at this stage, ‌we don't think is going to be helpful," he said.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump visited Beijing to meet with ⁠Chinese leader Xi Jinping in which they agreed that the strait must remain open. Xi made clear China's opposition to the militarization of the waterway and any effort to charge a toll for its use.

In retaliation for US-Israeli air strikes -- now paused as part of a cease-fire -- Tehran effectively closed the strait and has said it will begin charging tolls through the international waterway, through which some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas supplies transit.

With reporting by Reuters

The US State Department said on May 15 that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of a cease-fire to "enable further progress" and announced US-mediated follow-up talks later this month and in June.

"We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on X.

Israel has been launching strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since March 2, two days after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran.

Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.

A truce in place since April 17 has reduced fighting between Israel and Hezbollah but has not stopped it; hundreds of people have been killed in strikes since then and each side has accused the other of numerous violations.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejected what it called Tehran’s “attempts to justify” its attacks on Gulf countries after Iran accused Abu Dhabi of being an “active partner” in the US military campaign.

In a statement released on May 15, the UAE’s Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar affirmed the country's "categorical rejection of Iranian claims and attempts to justify Iranian terrorist attacks.”

"The UAE reserves all its sovereign, legal, diplomatic, and military rights to confront any threat, claim, or hostile act," Marar said. "It reserves its full and legitimate right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity to ensure the protection of its citizens, residents, and visitors."

A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on Telegram that the UAE has been "an active partner" in what he called "US aggression."

In a separate statement cited by Iranian media, Araqchi said he had “advised the representative of the UAE that [Israel] and the United States cannot guarantee their security” and pointed to the “consequences” of the Iranian air strikes on US military bases in the country’s territory.

The UAE said it has been subjected to about 3,000 missile and drone attacks since the beginning of the joint US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

Twenty Iranians and 11 Pakistanis who were aboard vessels “seized in the high seas by the United States” are being repatriated, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X on May 15.

All 31 “are in good health and high spirits,” Dar said, adding that they had reached Bangkok from Singapore and boarded a flight to Islamabad. The Iranians “will then be facilitated to return to their homeland.”

Dar thanked the governments of Singapore, Thailand, and the United States, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, for their support in the operation.

The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran in mid-April, about six weeks after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

President Donald Trump has signaled he would be agreeable to Iran suspending its nuclear program for 20 years.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One shortly after leaving Beijing, Trump said “20 years is enough but...it’s got to be a real 20 years.”

Tehran’s reluctance to accept a suspension -- or complete cessation -- of its uranium enrichment program continues to be the central sticking point between Iran and the United States.

For much of the past year, the Trump administration demanded that Iran permanently renounce domestic uranium enrichment. Iran countered by offering a temporary suspension, including a five-year freeze during recent talks.

In April, during peace talks in Pakistan, the US appeared to soften its position, proposing that Iran agree to halt enrichment for 20 years.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump’s comments on May 15 mark his clearest signal yet that he could accept a time-limited suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on May 15 said Tehran had received messages from the United States indicating that the Trump administration is seeking continued talks aimed at ending the Middle East war.

The US has not confirmed Araqchi's claim.

Speaking in New Delhi at a press conference at the BRICS summit, Araqchi said: "We received messages again from the Americans that they were willing to continue negotiations and continue engagement."

In recent days, US President Donald Trump called Iran's latest peace proposal "stupid" and "totally unacceptable."

Araqchi said that Iran is ready for both a return to military conflict and diplomatic solutions. He went on to add that the Pakistani mediation process has not failed but is facing difficulties.

The Iranian foreign minister did not provide any further details about the alleged US offer of talks nor his claim that the mediation process was facing difficulties.

Araqchi also said that the issue of Iran's uranium enrichment is "complicated and we have proposed postponing this discussion in order to reach a conclusion with the American side."

As part of any potential peace deal, the Trump administration insists Iran agrees to a long-term suspension or outright halt of uranium enrichment.

The FBI has announced a $200,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of a former US counterintelligence agent charged with espionage for Iran.

According to an FBI statement released on May 14, Monica Witt, a former US service member and counterintelligence agent, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the Iranian government.

She defected to Iran in 2013, the FBI said.

According to the indictment, she subsequently provided information to the Iranian government, placing sensitive and classified US national defense information and programs at risk.

"The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran's history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts. The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice," the statement said.