Iran announces first Ambassador to UAE in over 8 years. In a significant boost to bilateral relations, Iran appointed an envoy to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time since 2016.
As two neighbors in the region planned to push bilateral relations to achieve common interests, Tehran chose Reza Ameri, who previously served as the director general of the Iranian expatriates’ office in the Foreign Ministry.
As Iran has announced its first ambassador to UAE, the Gulf country declared the return of its ambassador to Tehran, ushering in a new era by severing strained ties.
Tensions between the two countries have remained high since 2016 when Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in response to the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in the Kingdom. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia threatened Gulf stability and security and fueled conflicts throughout the Middle East.
With Beijing’s assistance, Saudi Arabia has now announced that it will re-establish ties with Iran, effectively ending hostility.
Also read: What Saudi-Iran deal means for Middle East?
To avoid new confrontations in the region, the Gulf nation has recently mended ties with rivals, particularly Turkey, through dialogue.
On November 28, 2013, the foreign minister of the UAE visited Iran. In late July 2019, an Emirati delegation of coast guard commanders met with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran for the first time in six years, in order to improve maritime cooperation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, the UAE criticized Iran for failing to protect Saudi diplomat missionaries; however, unlike Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar, which withdrew their ambassadors, the UAE maintains its diplomatic mission in the country, albeit with limited diplomatic relations.
In 2019, Iran-backed soldiers in Yemen fired a number of missiles at the UAE. One hit a bus at Abu Dhabi International Airport. They also claim another missile hit Dubai International Airport, but the UAE denied this.
