Iran warned the United Arab Emirates of “highly dangerous consequences” on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s secret weekend visit to Abu Dhabi, deepening a rift between Tehran and the Gulf state. In a sharply worded statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called the “provocative presence” of Israel’s prime minister in the region and said all regional countries must stay vigilant about its fallout.

Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday for closed-door talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Israeli media and a senior Israeli official. The two leaders met for most of the day before he flew back that evening. The UAE confirmed the meeting on Monday, saying it covered bilateral relations and ways to strengthen diplomatic ties.

Tehran’s response was swift. The ministry said regional security was “collective and indivisible” and urged governments not to let their territory become a platform for destabilising actions. Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei wrote on X that hosting the “Butcher of Gaza” would come at a “heavy cost.” Saudi Arabia on Tuesday denied reports that its representatives had joined the Abu Dhabi talks, after an Israeli journalist claimed otherwise on social media.