Iran appoints first UAE envoy since 2016

Iran has appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for the first time since 2016.

The move comes amid a realignment of relations between Gulf states and Iran.

Iranian state media reported that the newly appointed ambassador, Reza Ameri, had served as the director general of the Iranian expatriate’s office in the foreign ministry.

The UAE downgraded relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 in reaction to Iranian protesters that stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric.

Also Read: Iran, Iraq sign deal on border security

In a step change to years of hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria, Riyadh last month said it would re-establish relations with Tehran in a China-brokered deal.

The UAE, which has business and trade ties with Iran stretching back more than a century, started re-engaging with Tehran in 2019 after attacks in Gulf waters and on Saudi energy sites.

The UAE’s Dubai emirate has long been one of Iran’s main links to the outside world.

Zainab Sa’id