In 2007, the Bush administration warned the UAE to stop helping Iran's
banking and trade system. The administration said Dubai has served as a port
for the transfer of dual-use equipment that could be used in Iran's weapons
of
mass destruction programs.
"Particularly in the region, Bahrain and the [United Arab] Emirates and
other neighbors all around Iran's borders, we have a lot of partners who are
working with us in the long term," Mazaheri said.
This was the first time Teheran has cited Gulf Arab allies of the United
States as facilitators of Iran's banking system. In 2007, the United States
imposed sanctions on leading Iranian banks deemed to have helped Teheran's
nuclear and missile programs.
But in an address to the Reuters Islamic Finance Summit in Manama,
Mazaheri said GCC and other regional states were foiling U.S. efforts. He
said Bahrain and the UAE would not sever their political and economic ties
to Iran despite U.S. pressure.
"Neither us nor our neighbors will sacrifice our long-term interests
because of the unilateral pressures," Mazaheri said.
