DUBAI
\nThe Emirati and Iranian foreign ministers have held a telephone conversation and discussed boosting ties, UAE state media reported on Wednesday, as the Gulf Arab country considers sending an ambassador back to Tehran.
\nEmirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed ways of \u201cboosting bilateral relations and areas of cooperation for the benefit of both countries\u201d, the UAE\u2019s state news agency WAM reported.
\nSheikh Abdullah \u201chighlighted the UAE\u2019s keenness… to enhance the security and stability of the region\u201d, WAM added.
\nIran\u2019s foreign ministry said Amir-Abdollahian \u201cwelcomed the enhancement of the level of ties between the two countries\u201d as \u201can important step in the process of developing bilateral relations\u201d, in a statement.
\nIt said the Iranian minister also spoke separately with his Omani and Kuwaiti counterparts on Tuesday night.
\nThe United Arab Emirates scaled back its ties with the Islamic republic in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh\u2019s execution of Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
\nEarlier this month, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his country was considering sending an ambassador back to Iran and called for regional economic cooperation to help ease political tensions.
\n\u201cThe next decade cannot be like the last decade. It\u2019s a decade where \u2018de-escalation\u2019 should be the key word,\u201d he had said.
\nHis comments came after Israel and the United States signed a new security pact reinforcing their common front against Iran, during a visit to the Jewish state by US President Joe Biden.
\nThe UAE\u2019s talk of strengthening Iran ties comes alongside Iraqi efforts to mediate between Emirati ally Riyadh, and Tehran.
\nSaudi Arabia and Iran have had no diplomatic ties since the 2016 attacks on the kingdom\u2019s diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic, while Kuwait also downgraded relations with Tehran.
\nAn Iranian diplomat told a Kuwaiti newspaper earlier this week that a Kuwaiti ambassador would arrive in Tehran \u201cin the next few days\u201d, but authorities in the Gulf emirate have yet to announce such a move.
\nThe oil-rich UAE has previously said that Arab Gulf states should take part in \u201ccollective diplomacy\u201d to reach an agreement with Iran, whose talks with Western powers over a faltering 2015 nuclear agreement have been stalled since March.
\nIn 2020, the UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel, a move which Tehran condemned.
\nAmir-Abdollahian on Tuesday described Israel\u2019s presence in the region as a cause of \u201cinstability and insecurity\u201d, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DUBAI The Emirati and Iranian foreign ministers have held a telephone conversation and discussed boosting ties, UAE state media reported on Wednesday, as the Gulf Arab country considers sending an ambassador back to Tehran. Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed ways of \u201cboosting bilateral relations and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-274249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n