The United Arab Emirates has betrayed the Islamic world and the Palestinians by reaching a deal toward normalizing ties with Israel, Iran's top authority supreme leader said in a speech on Tuesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks came a day after a joint Israeli and U.S. delegation travelled to Abu Dhabi in a historic visit, where the sides are set to discuss the details of the peace agreement.
"Of course, the UAE's betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot Palestine," Khamenei said. "The Emiratis will be disgraced forever."
The delegation, headed by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat arrived in Abu Dhabi on an El Al flight on Monday, the first direct commercial passenger flight between the UAE and Israel.
"The UAE along with Israelis and evil Americans like the Jewish member of Trump's family are working together against the interests of the Islamic world," Khamenei said, referring to Kushner. "I hope Emiratis wake up and compensate for what they did."
Iranian authorities have harshly criticized the U.S.- brokered deal between the UAE and Tehran's longtime foe Israel, with some officials warning that the UAE and Israel cosying up to one another risks conflagration in the Middle East.
Israel and the UAE expect economic benefits from the deal, the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, which was forged largely through shared fears of Iran.
It has dismayed Palestinian leaders, however, who believe it further erodes their struggle for an independent state.