Need to Upgrade Political Relations With UAE Stressed    

Tehran is ready to promote its relations with the United Arab Emirates in line with plans to transform its foreign policy and expand regional ties, a lawmaker said. 
“Iran and the United Arab Emirates have good economic relations but need to promote their ties at political level as well,” Abolfazl Amouei, spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told ICANA. 
The UAE downgraded its diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after an attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad in protest against Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shia cleric.  
It is now seeking to rebuild bridges with Iran, according to diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president.
“Our conversation is ongoing ... we are in the process of sending an ambassador to Tehran. All these areas of rebuilding bridges are ongoing,” Anwar Gargash told reporters recently. 
Amouei said relations have been pursued through the consulate in Dubai and at the level of charge d’affaires in Abi Dhabi, but “the exchange of ambassadors would signal the two countries’ readiness to upgrade their ties and resolve issues at higher levels.” 
He added that Tehran may be critical about certain UAE’s regional and international positions, but believes it can have bilateral talks on such differences. 

“The best way to address regional and bilateral problems is through dialogue at the level of top authorities,” he said.
Iran has condemned the UAE’s decision in 2020 to normalize ties with Israel, describing it as a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause. 
Gargash also said Abu Dhabi still shared concerns about Iran’s regional activities but wanted to work hard on finding diplomatic solutions. 
Referring to efforts by the United States and Israel to build an anti-Iran alliance against Iran, he said a Middle East NATO was a “theoretical” concept and that for Abu Dhabi confrontation was not an option.
The US and Israel are seeking to lay the groundwork for a security alliance with Arab states that they claim would connect air defense systems to combat alleged Iranian drone and missile attacks in the Middle East.
“We are very clear if something is defending the UAE and its civilians, of course we are open to these ideas, but not to the idea of creating any axes against this or that country,” he said.
Saudi Arabia, who severed its diplomatic relations with Iran after the 2016 storming of its missions, has also already started reconciliation talks, five rounds of which has so far been held in Iraq at the level of security officials. 
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has told Iran’s Foreign Minister recently that “the Saudi side is ready to move the talks to the political and public level.”
“We announced our readiness for the talks to enter the political stage,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday. 
Kuwait, which had recalled its ambassador in 2016, is now taking a similar measure as the UAE, according to the top diplomat. 
“Kuwait has introduced its ambassador and we have also announced our agreement. The new ambassador of Kuwait will arrive in Tehran within the next few days,” he said.