The UAE is contemplating the reintegration of its ambassador to Iran for the first time in six years, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, as the Gulf Arab Federation accelerates efforts to establish relations with the country it has long perceived as a regional threat.
The UAE’s ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, will return to Tehran in the coming days to “continue to advance bilateral relations in order to realize the common interests of the two neighbors and the region,” the UAE’s official WAM news firm reported. Reported. .
The move comes as U. S. and Iranian diplomats must now wrap up 16 months of negotiations to revive Tehran’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
Other Gulf Arab states have advocated détente. Last week, Kuwait appointed a new ambassador to Tehran for the first time since 2016. Saudi Arabia has worked to ease tensions with Iran in a series of talks with Baghdad mediation.
Ties between the Gulf Arab emirates and Iran have deteriorated after Iranian mobs stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran to protest the execution in the kingdom of a prominent Shiite cleric. In 2016, the UAE convened its ambassador to Tehran. Relations between the countries deteriorated further as the UAE subsidized former President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the so-called “maximum pressure” crusade against the Islamic Republic.
But Abu Dhabi has called for a reconsideration after Iran accused it of a series of attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi oil services in 2019. Meanwhile, Dubai, with its gigantic network of Iranian expats, has long served as a lifeline. for the outside world of Tehran, which has suffered from foreign sanctions.
Even as the UAE normalized relations last year with Tehran’s regional foe Israel, Emirati officials have stepped up efforts to promote relations with Iran and reduce the risk of its regional proxies. Yemen hit Abu Dhabi, damaging the UAE’s reputation as a safe haven in a volatile region.
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