Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe Israel off the map but will discover his own cities may disappear if he attacks Israel, the United Arab Emirate’s prime minister told CNN.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as vice president of the Emirates, also said he doubts that Iran would use a nuclear bomb or even build one.
"What can Iran do with a nuclear weapon?" he asked rhetorically. "For example, will they hit Israel? How many Palestinians will die? And you think if Iran hits Israel, their cities will be safe? They will be gone the next day."
The UAE, like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, are dead-set against Shi’ite Muslim Iran’s bold desire to head an Islamic empire, based on Sharia law, in every Muslim country.
The UAE probably would provide key bases and air space in the event of a Western or Israeli attack on Iran. It also is a prime target for Iran, which is separated from the UAE by only 50 miles via the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, several Gulf State islands are claimed by Iran.
However, al Maktoum spoke in diplomatic language with CNN. "Iran is our neighbor," he said. "They are Muslim, and we lived next to each other for thousands and thousands of years. I don't believe that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon."
