Top UAE adviser makes rare trip to Iran amid nuclear talks

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TEHRAN – The nationalist information advisor of the United Arab Emirates met Monday with Iran's hard-line president successful Tehran, a large sojourn for the Gulf Arab federation that has agelong viewed the Islamic Republic arsenic its main determination threat.

The sojourn by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan comes arsenic the Emirates and Saudi Arabia are some negotiating with Iran amid efforts successful Vienna to prevention Tehran's tattered atomic woody with satellite powers.

The UAE, location to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reached a diplomatic designation woody past twelvemonth with Israel, expanding tensions with Tehran. The UAE has agelong served arsenic a lifeline to the extracurricular satellite for Iran amid planetary sanctions.

Sheikh Tahnoon, wearing a navy-blue thobe, achromatic suit overgarment and his signature aviator sunglasses, met archetypal with Ali Shamkhani, the caput of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The 2 men smiled and shook hands successful beforehand of journalists earlier their meeting, a ample representation of Iran and the Persian Gulf looming down them, with conscionable a sliver of the Emirates disposable connected it.

Iranian authorities tv quoted Shamkhani arsenic saying that “warm and friendly” relations betwixt the countries stay a precedence and that they shouldn’t beryllium affected by different nations — apt a notation to the United States and Israel.

Sheikh Tahnoon aboriginal met with President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A connection from the presidency quoted Raisi arsenic welcoming “improved ties with the Emirates," including connected economical issues.

“There should beryllium nary obstruction successful narration of the 2 Muslim nations of Iran and the Emirates," Raisi said. “It should not beryllium affected by foreigners’ dictation.”

The Iranian presidency quoted Sheikh Tahnoon arsenic inviting Raisi for a authorities sojourn to the UAE. A study by the UAE's state-run WAM quality bureau did not notation the invitation, but said the 2 “discussed prospects of consolidating bilateral ties and explored an array of issues of communal interest.”

Monday marked a bid of governmental visits successful the portion against the backdrop of the Vienna talks successful Europe. Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad besides visited Tehran, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was to sojourn Oman connected a determination tour. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to question to Qatar, which Prince Mohammed besides planned to sojourn soon.

Sheikh Tahnoon's member is Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's almighty crown prince and agelong the de facto ruler of the Emirates, a federation of 7 sheikhdoms. Under Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE has embarked connected a accelerated enlargement of its subject forces to antagonistic what they spot arsenic the menace of Iran. The Emirates besides hosts U.S. and French forces and its Jebel Ali larboard is the U.S. Navy's busiest larboard of telephone extracurricular of America.

Sheikh Tahnoon besides has held astatine slightest 1 gathering with the caput of the Israeli Mossad quality service.

Sheikh Mohammed has agelong feared a nuclear-armed Iran, according to U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks.

But the UAE has pulled backmost from the Saudi-led warfare successful Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Emirates besides has sought to mend diplomatic ties to Turkey, viewed with suspicion implicit offering a haven for Islamists, and Qatar, which the UAE boycotted for years with respective different nations arsenic portion of a governmental dispute.

Ali Bagheri Kani, an Iranian lawman overseas curate starring the Vienna talks, besides precocious traveled to the UAE for talks.

As the gathering took place, however, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh criticized the Emirates for its acquisition this past play of 16 cardinal euros worthy of precocious Rafale pitchy fighters from France. The UAE besides plans a $23 cardinal acquisition including precocious stealth F-35 fighters arsenic well, aft its designation of Israel.

Khatibzadeh urged France to “behave much responsibly” and criticized the “militarizing of our region.”

“We are witnessing billions of dollars of limb income to determination countries though they clasp galore meetings astir our missiles," Khatibzadeh said, mentioning Iran's ballistic rocket program. “With these actions, we go much determined to marque our defence shield much active.”

Talks implicit Iran's programme successful Vienna broke up past week aft Tehran offered caller demands. Khatibzadeh insisted Iran wasn't aft a “temporary” statement from the negotiations, which helium described arsenic resuming “later this week.” European officials person yet to denote a clip for the talks to restart.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian separately insisted that Tehran had gone into negotiations successful Vienna with “seriousness and bully will.”

“We volition question nary Plan B simultaneously arsenic we negotiate,” helium told journalists. "We volition hold and effort to marque advancement successful lifting the sanctions arsenic desired by the federation done coagulated and almighty negotiations.”

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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