“It is obvious that there is a regional direction that is in conjunction with the Saudi movement,” Mohammed Baharoun, director general of the Dubai Center for Public Policy Research, told CNN.
The decision to return the ambassador “is part of the UAE’s regional orientation to rebuild bridges, strengthen relations, maximize what we share and build on it to create an atmosphere of trust, understanding and cooperation,” Anwar tweeted Gargash, adviser to the president of the UAE. .
Dina Esfandiari, a Middle East adviser at the think tank International Crisis Group, said the Gulf Arab states have developed a “realistic policy” on Iran that includes containment and engagement “because they realized that one alone would not work.” .
He told CNN that when the US did not follow through on its defense of its Arab partners after the Aramco attacks, “it became imperative [for the UAE] to secure itself without relying on others – especially the US – and engagement with Iran is part of that.”
Ties between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have gradually improved since then. The UAE is now the top exporter to Iran with bilateral trade rising to $21.4 billion in the four months to March this year, from just $7 billion for all of 2019, according to Reuters.
“Economically and commercially, the UAE stands to benefit the most from a reduction in regional tensions,” Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at the UAE, told CNN. “Even during the worst of the political tensions between the two countries, the trade has been uninterrupted. It has decreased, but it has never stopped.”
The approach comes amid uncertainty over the progress of indirect talks between the US and Iran to restore the nuclear deal. If a new agreement is reached, it could reduce the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the already tense region. But Gulf states fear that lifting sanctions on Iran would unlock billions of dollars that could be used by Tehran to further arm itself and expand its influence in Arab countries through proxies.
If the talks fail, observers say regional tensions could escalate as they did when then-US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal, potentially plunging the region into war. For the Gulf states, both scenarios are cause for concern.
“For the Gulf Arabs, going back to the nuclear deal or not going back is pretty much the same: They expect Iran to attack the region regardless of the outcome,” Esfandiari said. “So while they continue to watch it closely, efforts to improve their ties are more closely tied to their perceptions of security and threats than the nuclear deal itself.”
Abdullah said Iran remains a serious threat to Gulf security “with or without” a nuclear deal. “So one way to deal with Iran is to continue the conversation and find common ground for good neighborly relations.”
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are the only Gulf Arab countries without an ambassador in Tehran.
Iran said on Monday that talks with Saudi Arabia were a separate issue from talks on reviving the nuclear pact, adding that cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh could help restore calm and security in the Middle East.
Resuming diplomatic relations “is not a silver bullet,” Baharoun said. “It is an important step, however, diplomatic relations are lines of communication that directly help to reduce tension and deal with it. [We] We can’t have cooperation if we don’t talk to each other.”
Digestion
US says Iran rejects key demand as progress moves on renewed nuclear deal A senior US administration official told CNN on Friday that Iran has abandoned a key “red line” demand that was a major sticking point in efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. The Iranians also dropped demands to delist several companies. linked to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the official said. Iran said on Monday that the US “has not yet responded to the European side’s proposals” and accused the US of “postponing” the talks.
Background: US President Joe Biden has insisted for months that he will not de-designate the IRGC in order to revive the nuclear deal. The policy is one of several foreign policy decisions made by Trump that Biden has maintained. Trump designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2019 as part of a “maximum pressure campaign” imposed after the US withdrew from the deal in 2018.
Why it matters: In its response last week to a draft nuclear deal proposed by the European Union — which the EU has described as a “final” draft — Iran did not call for the IRGC to be removed from the list of US terrorist organizations, the official said. “The current version of the text, and what they are demanding, rejects that,” the official said. “So if we’re closer to a deal, that’s why.”
Landslide hits Shiite shrine in Iraq killing at least 7 people
At least seven people were killed after a landslide hit a Shiite mosque west of Karbala province in Iraq on Saturday, the interior ministry said. The total number of people trapped under the rubble is still unknown.
Background: The incident occurred on Saturday when a large hill next to Imam Ali’s Katara shrine slipped due to moisture saturation, according to a statement from Iraq’s Civil Defense. The landslide hit the roof of the temple which then collapsed on visitors. The Civil Defense said on Sunday that so far five bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the temple. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qadimi asked the interior minister on Sunday to have immediate on-the-ground supervision of rescue efforts and to mobilize civil defense and medical services to ensure the safety of the wounded and the rescue of civilians trapped under the ruins.
Why it matters: Iraq is mired in its worst and longest political crisis in years. At the center of this conflict is Iraqi political kingpin Moqtada al-Sadr and a rival bloc of parties with strong ties to neighboring Iran. In his first comments on the landslide, al-Sadr said the corruption of the authorities was now affecting places of worship. “Once again, suspected corruption caused casualties among civilians. But this time the corruption involved places of worship… We call on the government for an immediate and serious investigation to uncover the truth so that corruption does not affect mosques and places of worship. has done with the country’s institutions and ministries,” he said.
The plane failed to land as the pilots reportedly fell asleep during the flight Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia last Monday, according to a report by commercial aviation news website Aviation Herald. The incident occurred on an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Khartoum to Addis Ababa, the report said, “when the pilots fell asleep” and “the aircraft continued to pass over the top of the descent.”
Background: Aviation analyst Alex Machairas has since taken to Twitter to express his surprise at the “deeply disturbing incident”, which he says may have been the result of pilot burnout. “Pilot fatigue is nothing new and continues to be one of the most significant threats to aviation safety — internationally,” he tweeted Thursday.
Why it matters: The report comes just months after pilots at Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines warned airline executives in a letter that pilot burnout was on the rise and urged them to address fatigue and the resulting mistakes as a safety hazard. According to the letter, increasing demand for air travel as the industry begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation chaos caused by severe weather were among the reasons for the increase in pilot burnout.
Around the area
Iraq’s foreign ministry has recalled its ambassador to Jordan after photos of him and his wife with a famous Lebanese singer caused a social media storm.
The photos show Ambassador Haider Al Athari and his wife posing with music star Ragheb Allama. The three of them are depicted standing very close to each other, with Al Athari’s wife in the middle.
Some users accused the ambassador and his wife of breaking diplomatic protocol by hugging the singer, while others dismissed the controversy as a tempest in a teacup for a country facing many problems. Much of the criticism was directed at the ambassador’s wife, who is seen in one photo holding the singer’s hand.
“We are closely monitoring what has been shared on social media, with photos concerning the Iraqi ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan… appropriate procedures will be taken as soon as possible in this matter, in a way that reinforces Iraqi diplomatic values.” said the ministry’s official spokesman Ahmed Al-Shahaf. Layal Shaker, a resident of Iraq, pointed out how her country has bigger fish to fry. “Iraq has shifted its focus from the Zaho bombing that killed nine people, the political impasse that engulfed the country, the collapse of the shrine, to the photos of the Iraqi ambassador’s wife with Ragheb Allama.”
By Mohamed Abdelbari
$1.3 trillion
Middle Eastern oil-exporting nations are expected to earn up to $1.3 trillion in additional oil revenue over the next four years, the Financial Times reported, citing the International Monetary Fund. A surge in oil prices fueled by the war in Ukraine has led Gulf states to record budget surpluses…
