TEHRAN – Bahrain and the UAE’s move to normalize ties with Israel is a step to implement the U.S.-brokered plan of the “deal of the century”, says the director of the West Asian Studies Group at the International Association of Muslim University Professors.

In an interview with Iran Press published on Sunday, Massoud Asadollahi said Israel’s agreements with Bahrain and the UAE will serve U.S. President Donald Trump, who needs to win the upcoming presidential elections.

Asadollahi said the UAE and Israel already had security, economic, and intelligence ties, but the relations have just become overt.

He pointed out that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had stated that Washington’s ultimate goal was to form an anti-Iranian alliance, because the U.S.-led coalitions in Syria, Iraq, and other countries had failed.

“The rulers of the Emirates think that if their interests are threatened, the United States will help them, but experience has shown that the United States and Israel wage war only for their own interests,” said the professor.

Assadollahi also underlined that Tehran has warned Abu Dhabi that if Israel wants to attack Iran through the UAE, the whole UAE will be targeted.

Bahrain’s normalization of ties with the Israeli regime was announced on Friday by Donald Trump. It came almost a month after the U.S. brokered a similar agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the Zionist regime.

Palestinians have declared the upcoming Tuesday a “day of rage” over the Arab country’s betrayal. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has also denounced the move.

MH/PA