Emirates consummates rapprochement with Iran and announces the return of its ambassador to Tehran

Iran will once again have high-level Emirati diplomatic representation six years later. After weeks of rumours, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed on Sunday that diplomat Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, who had served until 2016 as ambassador to Tehran, will resume his duties from the Iranian capital "in the coming days", following in Kuwait's footsteps. 

In the statement, Abu Dhabi frames the announcement as part of "efforts to strengthen relations" with Tehran. The decision, taken in line with Persian diplomacy, seeks to "contribute to further advancing bilateral relations in cooperation with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran to achieve the common interests of the two countries and the wider region". This rapprochement moves the tectonic plates of the region. 

The move began to brew months ago, but the prelude to the announcement was a telephone conversation between the Gulf state's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan, and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, at the end of July. The head of Emirati diplomacy then acknowledged his intention to 'restore the warmth of relations between the two countries and open new horizons, especially in the face of the new challenges of security and stability in the region'. 

"The Persian Gulf countries are seeking economic and regional stability, and an escalation of tensions in the region would have a negative impact on their plans and rapprochement with the West in terms of energy", Spanish-Iranian analyst Daniel Bashandeh points out in an interview with Atalayar. 

"The announcement comes in the midst of negotiations on the nuclear agreement with Iran", an agreement that could be concluded in a matter of days, the analyst recalls: "The countries of the Persian Gulf and surrounding areas are trying to establish positions and seek to reduce tensions arising from the Iranian nuclear issue". 

In January 2016, Abu Dhabi reduced its bilateral relations with Iran to a minimum by withdrawing its ambassador to Tehran. Saudi Arabia had decided to completely sever its ties with the ayatollahs' regime following the storming of its embassy on Iranian soil by an angry mob. The Wahhabi kingdom had days earlier ordered the execution of a Shia cleric, which raised a wave of indignation in Iran. A confrontation was on the cards.

In this scenario of rupture, the Emirati authorities decided to follow the path of Saudi Arabia, a close regional ally with which they share numerous open fronts. The UAE chose to close ranks with its Saudi partner despite decades of strong commercial and diplomatic ties. 

But three years later, in 2019, Abu Dhabi took the path back to de-escalate tensions in a context of bitter rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran, spurred by the withdrawal of Donald Trump's United States from the nuclear deal. Washington took a hard line. 

With the change of the pieces in the White House, a space for détente was reopened. Talks to renew the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), resumed, and Riyadh gave way to dialogue with Tehran. It was time to restore diplomatic normality. 

The UAE has not been alone in moving closer to Iran. Kuwait, another Persian Gulf neighbour, appointed a new ambassador to Tehran in early August, the first since 2016, also joining the moves of its regional neighbours.

"The reopening of diplomatic relations is part of a strategy of leading diplomatic channels between Iran and the West, on the one hand, and between Iran and Saudi Arabia, on the other," Bashandeh explains. "The key to the latest moves by Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and now the Emirates is to try to play an important mediating role in the region and gain international influence. 

For the analyst, the best example of this strategy "lies in Qatar and Oman, two countries that were key to closing the 2015 nuclear agreement and that have now re-entered the scene to bring positions closer together". 

"It is discreet diplomacy, but very effective. In this way, they are sending a signal to the US after Biden's trip to Israel and his firm opposition to Iran's nuclear programme: they want a region that moves away from confrontation and works for a de-escalation of tensions", concludes Bashandeh.