TEHRAN — Government spokesman Ali Rabiei has said the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE was a gift to U.S. President Donald Trump who is seeking re-election in the November presidential polls.

“This was an election gift to Trump and a hideous gift to Netanyahu,” Rabiei wrote in a note published on Saturday.

“In fact, this is not the first time an Emir, ruler, or Khan in some corner of the Islamic civilization is justifying a betrayal to Quds,” he said.

He called on Muslims across the world not to allow occupiers to “occupy our minds and make us see occupation as our destiny.”

In a joint statement issued by the White House on Thursday, the UAE and Israel announced that they had “agreed to the full normalization of relations.”

According to the statement, delegations from Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, and the establishment of reciprocal embassies.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, has said that another Arab country is likely to establish relations with Israel.

Observers indicate that Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia may be the next to follow the UAE.

“There is a good chance that another country could make a deal with Israel in the coming days,” Kushner told reporters after the UAE-Israel deal was announced.

“We hope this is an icebreaker where Israel can now normalize relations with other countries,” he said, adding that Washington had been in talks with other Arab states to forge ties with Tel Aviv, too.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the agreement, describing it as a “strategic stupidity” by the UAE and Israel.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers this ‘shameful’ action of Abu Dhabi in normalizing ties with the fake, anti-human and illegitimate Zionist regime a dangerous action and warns about any interference of the Zionist regime in equations of the Persian Gulf region and announces that the government of the Emirates and other accompanying governments must admit responsibility for consequences of this action,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

MH/PA