Iran warns of dangerous consequences following Netanyahu's UAE visit

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday issued a sharp warning to the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned the visit, saying that such a presence in the region will have highly dangerous consequences.

The statement also said that the Israeli regime has always harbored hostility and animosity toward Iran and other countries in the region, and repeatedly threatened Iran.

Iran urged all states in the region to remain vigilant against the repercussions of such a visit, which threatens the region's collective peace and security.

Iran also called on governments in the Middle East to refrain from allowing their territories to be used for destabilizing actions directed against other countries in the region.

The warning followed confirmation from both Israel and the UAE that Netanyahu traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to Israeli reports, after the meeting with the Emirati president, Netanyahu had expanded meetings with senior officials from several Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to discuss regional cooperation against Iran.

However, both Saudi Arabia and Jordan denied the meetings.

Relations between the UAE and Israel normalized under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries enhanced military and intelligence cooperation after Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military bases and other targets in the Gulf region.

The UAE has denied Western media reports highlighting its firm posture toward Iran and participation in the U.S-Israel airstrikes against the Islamic Republic.

Iran warns of dangerous consequences following Netanyahu's UAE visit

China and the United States should capitalize on the current window of opportunity in bilateral relations to build momentum and prevent progress from slipping, said David Lampton, former president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently concluded a state visit to the U.S. at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. The two heads of state agreed to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.

The visit comes just months after Trump's China trip in May. The exchange of visits between the two heads of state within six months is considered to be of historic and milestone significance by many analysts.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Lampton quoted a famous 1938 treatise by late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, emphasizing the need to build confidence to seize the opportunity in China-U.S. relations created by the head-of-state diplomacy.

"I was thinking about this Mao Zedong's 1938 'On Protracted War,' and it was in three phases. The first was strategic retreat, then consolidation and then strategic advance. And I think there are people in both our societies that see this current discussion and detente or whatever we might call it, as a pause before strategic advance," he said.

"And so we need to, I think, build confidence that we are not just catching our breath before confrontation, that we're catching our breath to seize opportunity. And I'm pretty sure not everybody in both our societies has that same expectation. And that's why I think window of opportunity, windows close. And I think we either move forward or we're going to move backwards, can't stay in the same place too long," said Lampton.

Expert urges China, US to seize window of opportunity to push bilateral ties forward