Iran-UAE thaw in Delhi? Pezeshkian says ‘turn the page’ as Trump stays unfazed
A day after meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the two had a 'constructive exchange'.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. PTI
In a significant diplomatic development between Tehran and Abu Dhabi amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the two countries were seeking to "turn the page" on the war.
"We had a constructive exchange with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi," Masoud Pezeshkian said a day after a meeting with Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in India, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. "It was agreed that we would turn the page, look to the future and build it together", he added.
What is Trump's stand?
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he "does not care" if Gulf countries meet Iranian officials to discuss the future of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it was 'up to them' whether they wanted to hold talks.
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Talks between the Gulf states and Iran in Oman on Monday will focus on strengthening security cooperation in the Middle East. The meeting comes against the backdrop of a standoff between the US and Iran over the blocked Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies previously passed.
Last month, the UAE had announced that it was suspending trade and financial exchanges with Iran.
The meeting between the leaders on Saturday was the highest-level contact between Iran and UAE since the region was plunged into chaos following joint US-Israeli aggression against Tehran and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic on US bases in Gulf States, including the UAE.
Pezeshkian speaks on US presence in Gulf countries
Pezeshkian said during the meeting that Iran had "no problem" with the UAE or other regional countries, while opposing the presence of US military bases in the Gulf. He alleged that the US used these bases to attack Iran during the war.
"We have no problems with the UAE. We have no problem with any of the regional countries. We have a problem with the American bases located in these countries and from which they are attacking our country," Pezeshkian said.
"The UAE, the Emiratis and other countries of the region are our brothers. We have been living together for a long time and we have had trade. We have supported each other," he said.
He said that friendly countries should not allow "enemies" to use their soil to attack other neighbouring countries, the Iranian leader said.
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