The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is returning its ambassador to Tehran. According to a statement issued by the UAE MFA on Sunday, the diplomat will return to duty in the coming days.
"The decision to return the ambassador was made in coordination with the Iranian MFA," the foreign ministry said.
Relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran began to thaw late last year. On December 6, Emirati National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the Iranian capital and held talks with his counterpart Ali Shamkhani, as well as President of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi, following which the sides set out to expand cooperation. This was followed by a series of high-level telephone conversations. In July of this year, UAE Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash announced plans to increase the level of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi.
The UAE recalled its ambassador and announced a downgrade in diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 due to attacks on Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in the republic. In addition, the two sides have a number of historical disagreements over three islands in the Persian Gulf.
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Based on materials from TASS