DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates will need years to rebuild trust with Iran, according to Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president. Speaking at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai on Thursday, Gargash acknowledged that while the two countries must maintain ties as neighbours, the confidence shattered by recent attacks on Gulf states cannot be restored overnight.
“At the end of the day, we are neighbours, geographically neighbours. We have very complex relations with Iran, and certainly there is a collapse in the security regiment in the region. Thus, we have to find some new channels of understanding,” Gargash said.
A three-pronged approach
Gargash outlined the UAE’s strategy in three parts: defending sovereignty, remaining flexible, and ensuring economic continuity. He cited President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit to Germany as an example of maintaining economic momentum despite the crisis.
“We have to try. To maintain our development, our economic uproar, and the visit of our president to Germany was successful because we don't want to stop our economy in the midst of this crisis,” he said.
Asked about his earlier statement that UAE confidence in Iran was broken, Gargash drew a clear distinction between relations and trust. “Actually, I differentiated between the relations and the trust, and I said that the relations are a must and we should have communication and relations with Iran based on open dialogue and a dialogue that would overcome the daily matters,” he explained. “Confidence building, I believe, will take us a long time. We need years to rebuild this trust.”
Gargash noted that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had called the aggression against Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states “a big mistake.” He described it as “a geostrategic mistake that created a more complex situation for Iran that would affect its future.”
Proxy militias and regional stability
Gargash criticised Iran’s use of proxy militias, saying they kept Tehran close to the aggression. He argued that Gulf states would be the ones to broker Iran’s return to international trade and commerce once the attacks ceased. “They can't negotiate a new future while they are still threatening and being aggressive against the neighbourhood,” he said.
When asked whether the UAE had taken any financial or political measures against Iran, Gargash replied: “No, we have only defended ourselves, and we continue to defend ourselves, and we still extend our hands for friendly relations.”
He also noted that decision-making in Iran is no longer concentrated in one place, as it was under the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and that voices opposing confrontation with the Gulf need to be louder.
New page with Iran
On the meeting between Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed and President Pezeshkian at the BRICS summit, Gargash said the two sides had agreed on the direction, if not on everything. “There was not a complete agreement between them. But there was an agreement on the fact that we should start a new page and look to the future,” he said. “The future should never be like what we have now. It is not in the interest of Iran nor the GCC countries.”
Gargash praised President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for balancing flexibility and strength since the start of the war. “The UAE is a nice country, but we are not an easy target,” he said. “He was so clear in saying that Iran is going to be away from stability for decades to come.”
Houthi threat to Bab el-Mandeb
Turning to the Houthi offensive in Yemen, Gargash expressed concern over the group’s attempts to control the Bab el-Mandeb strait. “The Houthis' control over the strait is a concern for everyone,” he said, adding that it is not just a regional issue but a matter of international economy. “We go back to the basic principle that these straits are international. This is the international definition.”
He also condemned recent drone and rocket fire that triggered alerts in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and Mecca, stating that “targeting Mecca is completely denounced and rejected.” Gargash emphasised that the security of Saudi Arabia is intertwined with that of the UAE and the wider GCC.
The region has suffered from militias, he said, naming Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, and stressed that “any arms outside the state are harmful for the countries and the region.”
Gargash confirmed that channels with Riyadh remain open, saying: “Yes, the channels are open. And as you are aware, and strategically speaking, the safety, security, and prosperity of Saudi Arabia is in our interest.”
