ABU DHABI, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, said Tuesday his country will not allow anyone to use its territory to conduct anti-Iranian operations.

The Emirates News Agency WAM quoted al-Nuhayyan as saying in an interview with the Al-Hayat newspaper, published in London, that the UAE has refused the use of its territory for aggression against any country, especially against a neighboring Islamic state.

The president said that a recent message delivered by Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayid, foreign minister of the UAE, to Iran confirmed that the country was not involved in the conflict between Iran and the U.S., and would not allow anyone to use its territory for any military, reconnaissance or security operations against Iran.

The Al-Hayat newspaper quoted al-Nuhayyan as saying that the UAE had always called on Iran to act on a flexible and realistic basis, to respect international law and obey Resolution 1737 to thwart the escalation of tension in the region.

Last December, in response to Iran's unwillingness to give up its nuclear ambitions, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737, which provided for sanctions against Iran banning activities involving uranium enrichment, chemical reprocessing, heavy water-based projects, and the production of nuclear weapons delivery systems.

Conversely, Al-Nuhayyan said that he has urged the United States and Western countries to continue seeking diplomatic means to settle the conflict with Iran and avoid the use of force, which could escalate into a regional crisis.

The president of the UAE confirmed that his country and other Persian Gulf nations would like to diversify their energy supplies, including through nuclear energy, which, he said, should be used for civilian purposes only.

The latest reports indicate that Russian reconnaissance officers have obtained information concerning the mobilization of U.S. military forces near Iran's borders.