Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 9: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) first ambassador to India Hussain Hassan Mirza believes that just a phone call from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi can resolve the Israel – Iran dispute and end the current war.
Lauding the leadership of Mr Modi, Mr Mirza said on Monday that the Indian Prime Minister commanded respect not just among Gulf leaders but also among the region’s public and business communities, and that credibility extends to both parties in the current conflict. “One phone call from Mr Modi to the counterparts in Iran and Israel can solve this issue, can end this issue. One phone call,” Mr Mirza said.
He said the UAE has neither has any desire nor any reason to be drawn into the Iran-Israel conflict and will not allow its territory to be used as a launching pad by either side. “To be honest, I’m not sure why we are involved. There is no reason for the UAE to be involved in this,” Mirza said.
Abu Dhabi is in a sensitive geopolitical position; it is a neighbour to Iran, and a partner to Israel under the Abraham Accords. That position is precisely what makes the UAE useful, Mirza added. “We can negotiate between the two.” “They are fighting each other on our soil. That is unacceptable,” Mirza said.
He was careful to stay within civilian lanes. “I am not a military guy,” he said, and added that reports of minimal damage so far are accurate as per his assessment. The Iran-Israel war showed no sign of pausing for the transition of the new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Israel’s military launched a fresh wave of strikes on central Iran on Monday and hit Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut. The human cost also continued to accumulate. Iran’s UN ambassador put the number of civilian deaths at 1,332, with thousands wounded. The US confirmed a seventh American soldier had died during treatment.