With Kushner in UAE, Iran's leader decries Israel-UAE ties

Al-Dhafra Air Base (UAE): Jared Kushner and US officials visited a major air base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, speaking to Emirati and American pilots on the tarmac, as Iran's supreme leader called the UAE's recognition of Israel treason that will not last for long.

The US-brokered deal to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE reflects a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about Iran have overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians.

While the US says the deal will promote regional peace and stability, the belligerent threat by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underlined the risks inherent in the rapprochement.

The US delegation, headed by Kushner, arrived in the UAE on an El Al plane on Monday in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries.

The flight followed an agreement brokered by the Trump administration last month that saw the two countries agree to establish diplomatic relations.

The Israeli delegation was returning home on Tuesday after a quick visit that included a series of high-level meetings.

While at the base near Abu Dhabi, Kushner and U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien met Emirati Maj. Gen. Falah al-Qahtani, a top defense official. Thousands of American troops work at the base.

Our relationship has been built on trust and mutual support, al-Qahtani told reporters. We have stood together to fight extremism in all of its forms.

O'Brien added that the U.S. expected a significant security aspect in the Israel-UAE normalization, without elaborating. Journalists also toured a joint command center run by both the U.S. and the UAE at the site.

Kusher, not wearing a facemask amid the Coronavirus pandemic, shook hands with the U.S. and Emirati pilots gathered for the event. He also left a written message at the base.

May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, will benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond! he wrote. But as the visit drew to a close, state media in Iran begin broadcasting Khamenei's remarks, which referred the UAE's recognition of Israel as a stain on the country.

The United Arab Emirates committed treachery against either the Islamic world or Arab nations and regional countries, as well as Palestine," Khamenei said.

The treason will not last for long. Both the UAE and Israel share a mutual suspicion of Iran.