TEHRAN — Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Abu Dhabi Thursday for a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. He discussed trade and security with Emirati officials, the state-run news agency IRNA reported.
At a meeting with the Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed, Ghalibaf discussed deepening economic cooperation in the context of “the existing conditions in the region.” He also spoke about greater expansion of bilateral relations within the framework of the BRICS group of nations.
Both Iran and the UAE were formally invited in August to join the body originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In what seemed an effort to promote Iranian scientific advancements, Ghalibaf presented the Emirati president with two pharmaceutical products he said were “developed by domestic knowledge-based companies.” The Iranian government has been investing tremendously in their development, which Iranian officials hold up as proof that Iran is moving toward self-sufficiency and mitigating the impacts of Western sanctions.
According to the ISNA news agency, during Ghalibaf’s visit, the Emirati authorities announced their decision to release 10 Iranian nationals held in UAE prisons as a “gesture of welcome.”
In a separate meeting with the Emirati Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the Iranian top lawmaker discussed Gulf relations and reasserted Iran’s stance that countries outside the region should be prevented from “interfering” in the security management of the strategic waters.
Ghalibaf’s visit came amid a wider diplomatic push by Iran to reset relations with its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, among others. In 2022, ties between Tehran and Abu Dhabi began to slowly improve following a six-year hiatus, with the Emirati side reinstating its ambassador to the Islamic Republic.
In August, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi issued a formal invitation to his Emirati counterpart to travel to Tehran. Prior to that, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian paid two visits to Abu Dhabi and is expecting the top Emirati diplomat Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Tehran soon. Iran’s transportation minister made a separate trip to the UAE earlier this year.
Yet certain long-standing tensions were publicly discussed in none of these visits. At the core of the issues lies the dispute over three islands controlled by the Islamic Republic but claimed by the UAE. While Abu Dhabi has managed to get several global players including Russia and China to support its claim, Iran has remained dismissive and even flexed its muscles by holding war games around the disputed territory over the summer.
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