A top U.S. diplomat who helped forge the deal to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates said the pact is a blow to Iran.
Speaking in the Oval Office about the historic announcement on Thursday, Brian Hook, the outgoing U.S. special envoy to Iran, declared the agreement is part of a “new Middle East,” one where Iran will have less sway.
“Peace between the Arabs and the Israelis is Iran’s worst nightmare,” Hook said. “And no one has done more to intensify the conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis than Iran.”
“What we see today is a new Middle East. The trend lines are very different today, and we see the future is very much in the Gulf and with Israel, and the past is with the Iranian regime. It clings to power on the basis of brute force,” he added.
Hook also praised the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign designed to squeeze Tehran into submission through crushing sanctions and financial pressure. He said the policy has resulted in “incredible results.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, agreed “to the full normalization of relations” between the countries during a phone call on Thursday, according to the White House. The move is historic and comes after the UAE began direct humanitarian aid flights to Israel earlier this year.
It was announced last week that Hook is leaving his role and would be replaced by Elliott Abrams, who previously served as the U.S. special representative for Venezuela. The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
