The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, will resume his duties in Tehran in the coming days, the UAE's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday in a statement.
This move is in line with UAE efforts to strengthen relations with Iran "to achieve the common interests of the two countries and the wider region", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
According to Aljazeera, the two sides discussed ways of "boosting bilateral relations and areas of cooperation for the benefit of both countries" during the phone call by the Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
The UAE is working on sending an ambassador back to reestablish connections in various fields with Iran, the UAE president's diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said. Noting that the UAE still held concerns about Iran's regional policy and activities, Gargash stressed seeking diplomatic resolution, as confrontations will only complicate the whole situation.
In 2016, following Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shia scholar, which caused Iranian protesters to storm Saudi Arabia's diplomatic missions in Iran, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran. In solidarity with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi recalled its envoy to Tehran, leading to a downgrade in diplomatic relations to the level of charge d'affaires.
Riyadh started re-engaging with Tehran through multiple talks since April 2021, hoping to ease tensions and rebuild ties. Relations between the UAE and Iran started to warm as well.