UAE adviser Gargash: rebuilding trust with Iran will take years

UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Dr Anwar Gargash said on Thursday that rebuilding trust between the UAE and Iran will take years. Speaking at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, he stressed that relations with Tehran must continue since the two countries are neighbours, but that trust is a separate matter following attacks on Gulf states.

Gargash outlined the UAE's approach to the crisis in three parts: defending sovereignty first, then remaining flexible, and finally maintaining economic development despite the turmoil. He cited the UAE president's successful visit to Germany as an example of the country's determination not to halt its economy amid the crisis.

Relations versus trust

Asked about his 7 September statement that UAE confidence in Iran had been broken, Gargash explained he draws a distinction between "relations" and "trust." He said relations with Iran are necessary and should be based on open dialogue, but confidence-building will take years. He noted that Iran's own president had called the aggression against Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries a major mistake, which Gargash described as a geostrategic error with lasting consequences for Iran's future.

Gargash said the UAE itself had not taken any financial or political countermeasures against Iran, having only defended itself. He also observed that decision-making in Iran is no longer concentrated in one place as it once was, and that voices opposing confrontation with the Gulf need to grow louder.

Regarding the meeting between Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the BRICS summit, Gargash said there was no complete agreement, but both sides agreed to turn a new page in relations.

Concerns over Bab el-Mandeb

Asked about the drone and rocket fire that triggered alerts in Jeddah and Mecca, Gargash condemned any targeting of Mecca and stressed that Saudi Arabia's security is tied to the UAE's own. He named Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen as examples of armed groups harmful to the region. On Houthi efforts to control the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Gargash said this was a concern not just regionally but for the global economy, since the strait is recognised as international waters.