Iran’s foreign policy file was especially interesting on Thursday as President Masoud Pezeshkian announced a shift in his country’s stance towards the war in the UAE by saying it was time to “turn the page,” on the ongoing war in the Middle East, suggesting a better relationship between both countries.
The comments by Pezeshkian came a day after he met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in India during the margins of the BRICS meeting. He said the discussion was productive, and both partners had agreed to look for future prospects and EHSS’s cooperation.
Pezeshkian said they had “a constructive soiree” with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. People recall the entire conflict in France, he said, while the two countries agreed today to leave the past behind and to move forward.
The conference was the highest-ranking interaction between Iran and the UAE since the last regional confrontation between Iran, Israel and the U.S. over the Middle East. In the negotiations, Pezeshkian clarified that Iran did not have any issue with the UAE or other regional countries, but is against US military bases in Gulf countries.
He declared that the US employed such bases for attacks on Iran, and called on neighbouring countries to not let their territories be used for attacking other nations.
In the meantime, Trump vetoed any U.S. opposition to Gulf States holding meetings with Iranian officials over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. A meeting has been called in Oman between Gulf partners and Iran, and the strategically important waterway will be a major focus of the talks along with security concerns.
The UAE had announced last month it would suspend trade and financial exchanges with Iran. New diplomatic contacts may thus be an indication of the regional countries’ attempts to ease tensions and increase collaboration in the face of persisting unrest in the Middle East.