Concerns about a videotape of a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family torturing a man have delayed U.S. approval of a nuclear energy deal with the Middle East nation, news outlets reported today.

The reports come just one day after Phoenix signed a partnership with the nation’s financial capital, Dubai.

The 45-minute video depicts Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyanby, one of the crown prince’s many brothers, beating a grain dealer with a wooden plank containing jutting nails, burning his genitals with a cattle prod, and repeatedly running him over with a Mercedes.

The sheikh believed he had been cheated by the Afghan man.

The government of Abu Dhabi, the emirate where the incident took place, has condemned the actions in the tape and called for an investigation, according to media reports.

The tape, parts of which were first aired by ABC News last week, caused enough concern within the Obama administration that the president has held off sending the nuclear deal to Congress for approval, according to CNN.

But there was no indication that the torture tape would thwart the agreement reached Wednesday between the mayors of Phoenix and Dubai. The deal, which Phoenix officials said had the blessing of the U.S. State Department, is aimed at promoting trade and foreign investment between the two cities.

“Torture is wrong but we should be careful not to blame an entire country or government, just as Dubai doesn’t blame us for torture that was sanctioned by the previous administration,” said Scott Phelps, spokesman for Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

Councilwoman Thelda Williams said she couldn’t stand to watch the torture video on her office computer. Years of overseeing animal-abuse cases for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have made her extremely sensitive to images of cruelty, she said.

But Williams said she sees little connection between the torture video and Dubai agreement.

“It makes me uncomfortable but I’m not distressed that we signed the partnership,” she said. “We’re talking about solar energy, creating jobs and positive things.”

Source: The Arizona Republic

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