The president of the United Arab Emirates has met with Iran’s visiting overseas minister within the newest signal of bettering relations between Arab Gulf international locations and the Islamic Republic
On this picture launched by UAE Presidential Courtroom, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, proper, meets with Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Minister of International Affairs at Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Ryan Carter/UAE Presidential Courtroom through AP)
The Related Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The president of the United Arab Emirates met with Iran’s visiting overseas minister on Thursday within the newest signal of bettering relations between Arab Gulf international locations and the Islamic Republic.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and different Gulf international locations have lengthy harbored suspicions about Iran due to its nuclear program and assist for militant teams throughout the area, and have cultivated shut protection ties with the U.S. However in latest months they’ve charted a extra impartial path, reaching out to U.S. adversaries as Washington more and more focuses on Russia and China.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian International Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian “mentioned the significance of constructing on optimistic developments to learn the folks of the area and improve regional stability and prosperity,” the UAE’s state-run WAM information company reported.
Iranian state TV mentioned the 2 met for 90 minutes and mentioned additional cooperation in numerous fields. It mentioned the Iranian overseas minister invited Sheikh Mohammed to go to Iran and that the UAE president invited Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi to go to the Emirates.
The assembly follows comparable latest outreach by Saudi Arabia, which agreed to normalize relations with Iran for the primary time in seven years in a deal brokered by China in March. The 2 international locations have since reopened embassies and held high-level official visits.
The UAE, house to the futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is an in depth U.S. army ally that hosts some 2,000 American troops on the Al-Dhafra Air Base. U.S. forces primarily based there and in different Arab Gulf international locations have lengthy been seen as a deterrent to Iran.
The UAE was additionally the driving power behind the so-called Abraham Accords, wherein it and three different Arab international locations cast ties with Israel. Israel views Iran as its biggest menace and hopes to additional isolate it by pursuing nearer ties with Arab states.
Israel and the U.S. are eager to succeed in a normalization settlement with Saudi Arabia. Saudi officers say any such settlement must be linked to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian battle.