A little-known, oil-poor sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates — run by a crown prince on the verge of entering into a friendly nuke agreement with the United States — just might be Iran’s best friend in the race to acquire nuclear weapons.
Ras Al Khaimah — the underdeveloped ugly duckling of the United Arab Emirates, controlled by a heavily perfumed crown prince named Saud al-Qasimi — is the site of the next America’s Cup yachting race.
But it’s the tiny UAE emirate’s strong ties with Tehran that might propel the ministate out of the Persian Gulf backwaters to the top of the world’s terror list.
In addition to the string of business deals cementing their friendship, the RAK has reportedly become the port of choice for Iranian smugglers to bring in illicit weapon materials and flout UN sanctions.
The cozy relationship is particularly problematic since an agreement, set to go into effect Oct. 25, will allow the United States to share peaceful nuclear technology with the seven United Arab Emirate states — including RAK.
Canadian officials recently discovered that RAK has become a smuggling hot spot for Iran to get banned weapon materials into the country, according to a report in the National Post.
“Ras Al Khaimah is actually leased by the Iranian government, staffed by Iranian customs,” said Canadian counter-proliferation official George Webb.
RAK’s former ruler bemoaned the spread of Tehran’s influence.
“The supportive posture [RAK] takes toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is undermining the policies of the United States,” Khalid al-Qasimi wrote in a letter sent to US lawmakers last week. With Post Wire Services