More than six years after the Gulf Arab state cut relations with Tehran, the United Arab Emirates announced that its ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, would return to Tehran "in coming days."
The foreign ministry stated in a statement that the declaration on Sunday is consistent with UAE efforts to improve ties with Iran "to realize the common interests of the two countries and the wider region".
After Iranian protesters broke into Saudi Arabia's diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh's death of prominent Shia scholar Nimr al-Nimr, the UAE cut off relations with Tehran in 2016.
The UAE official media said that the Emirati and Iranian foreign ministers spoke on the phone last week and discussed strengthening ties, including the possibility of sending an ambassador back to Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke about measures to "improve bilateral relations and areas of collaboration for the benefit of both nations," according to a report from the UAE's state news agency WAM.
Following strikes in Gulf waters and on Saudi oil sites in 2019, the UAE began re-engaging with Iran after years of hostility on opposing sides of geopolitical rivalry.
At a time when Gulf Arab states are closely monitoring efforts to restore Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreement with international powers—which they view as defective for failing to address its missile program—Saudi Arabia also took steps last year to strengthen ties with Iran.
Although Tehran's actions in the area should halt, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi also want to keep tensions in check so they can concentrate on their economic interests.
With Dubai serving as one of Iran's primary gateways to the outside world for a very long time, the UAE and Iran have had economic and trade connections for more than a century.
Kuwait, a neighboring Gulf nation, named its first ambassador to Iran 2016 earlier this month.
The UAE normalized relations with Israel in September 2020, which led to the current thawing of diplomatic ties. Under the so-called Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the United States, three additional Arab nations, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, also established diplomatic ties with Israel.
Emirati officials have intensified their efforts to strengthen trade ties with Iran and lessen the threat posed by its regional affiliates even as the UAE normalized relations with Tehran's adversary in the region.
Abu Dhabi was the target of drone and missile attacks earlier this year by Houthi rebels in Yemen who are supported by Iran, harming the UAE's standing as a safe haven in a difficult area.
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