UAE emerges as new dealmaker between Iran and Europe

At the end of a three-day diplomatic visit to four Arab neighbors, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdurashian said the visit was aimed at boosting bilateral ties, but Iranian analysts said the move to Iran Practical issues such as the transfer of frozen assets to Iran, Qatari banks and potential mediation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are in jeopardy.

Ahead of Hussein Amir-Abdulahian’s visit to Gulf states, New York Times and Axios Tehran and Washington have reached an “informal agreement” to ease tensions, the report said.

Under the deal, the U.S. would release some of Tehran’s frozen assets and stop seizing oil tankers from the Islamic Republic in exchange for the freedom of U.S. prisoners in Iran and a halt to more than 60 percent of uranium enrichment, Iranian and Western sources said.

After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s message green light Reach an agreement that won’t “reverse the achievements of the nuclear program.” After the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018, Khamenei, who has the final decision on all Iranian affairs, has always expressed his disapproval of new negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Oman and Qatar have since played a crucial role in hosting direct talks between Iran and European countries, and indirect talks between Tehran and Washington.

During his latest trip, Amir-Abdulahian first visited the two countries before holding meetings with senior dignitaries in Kuwait, the first time since hardline President Ibrahim Lacey took office in 2021. First visit to the country.

His final stop was the United Arab Emirates, which recently joined the ranks of countries that have restored full political ties with Iran.

Abdul Reza Faraj Rad, a former Iranian diplomat, suggested that Amir Abdurrahian’s visit to the UAE was in response to European countries’ attempts to open a channel of negotiation under the mediation of the UAE.

“The Europeans don’t want the US-Iran talks to overshadow their political talks with Tehran, so they are looking for a third country besides Oman and Qatar to host the meeting with the Iranian delegation,” he said. explain.

Farajrad added that Iran was happy to hold talks in the UAE as a way to strengthen relations with the Gulf state. Abu Dhabi reduced its political ties with Tehran following the 2016 attacks on Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.

“The UAE is also happy to play a role in the negotiations between Iran and the West due to the internal rivalry between the Gulf states,” he concluded.

In addition to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani and the foreign minister’s senior adviser Moitaba Bani Asadzad, Ibrahim Rezai, a member of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, also accompanied the visit. Amir Abdullahian visits.

The presence of the politicians in the Iranian delegation has fueled speculation about the reasons behind a visit by top Iranian diplomats and separate talks between European countries and the United States over Iran’s nuclear program.

However, the Iranian delegation to these talks was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagher Kani, who has family ties to Khamenei. Bagheri Carney, with his creed against Western powers, is more influential than Amir Abdullah in directing Iran’s foreign ministry.

All these developments have led experts on Iranian international affairs to believe that Amir Abdullahi set off for Oman and Qatar to discuss issues related to the freedom and release of Iranian prisoners after Bagari Khani reached a preliminary agreement with European powers and the United States. Negotiations on practical issues. Iran’s frozen assets.