UAE ambassador to Iran to return, 6 years after relations severed

It has been greater than six years for the reason that Gulf Arab state downgraded ties with Iran after Saudi diplomatic missions attacked by protesters.

Iran UAE
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi meets Emirati officers in 2021 [File: Majid Asgaripour/Wana via Reuters]

The United Arab Emirates says its ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, would return to Tehran “in coming days”, greater than six years after the Gulf Arab state downgraded ties with Tehran.

The announcement on Sunday is in keeping with UAE’s efforts to strengthen relations with Iran “to realize the widespread pursuits of the 2 nations and the broader area”, the international ministry mentioned in an announcement.

The UAE scaled again its ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh’s execution of outstanding Shia scholar Nimr al-Nimr.

Final week, the Emirati and Iranian international ministers had a phone dialog and so they mentioned boosting ties, UAE state media reported, the place they mentioned sending an envoy again to Tehran.

Emirati International Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian mentioned methods of “boosting bilateral relations and areas of cooperation for the good thing about each nations”, UAE’s state information company WAM reported then.

After years of animosity on totally different sides of geopolitical rivalries, the UAE began re-engaging with Iran in 2019 following assaults in Gulf waters and on Saudi vitality websites.

Final 12 months, Saudi Arabia additionally moved to enhance ties with Iran at a time when Gulf Arab states are intently eyeing efforts to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers, which they deem flawed for not addressing its missile programme.

Although Riyadh and Abu Dhabi need an finish to Tehran’s strikes within the area, additionally they need to include the tensions as they give attention to financial priorities.

The UAE has enterprise and commerce ties with Iran stretching again greater than a century, with the emirate of Dubai lengthy being one in every of Iran’s principal hyperlinks to the skin world.

Fellow Gulf state Kuwait earlier this month appointed its first ambassador to Iran since 2016.

The warming of diplomatic ties comes after the UAE normalised ties with Israel in September 2020. Three different Arab nations – Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – additionally cast diplomatic relations with Israel beneath the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by america.

Even because the UAE normalised relations with Tehran’s regional foe, Emirati officers have escalated efforts to spice up commerce relations with Iran and cut back the risk from its regional proxies.

Earlier this 12 months, drone and missile strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen hit Abu Dhabi, hurting the UAE’s status as a secure haven in a risky area.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post