Pezeshkian signals reset in ties with
Abu Dhabi as Trump says he has no interest in Oman meeting on Strait of Hormuz
·
Iran-UAE
rapprochement:
Iranian President Masoud
Pezeshkian said Iran and the UAE have agreed to “put the past behind us and look to the
future” following talks in New Delhi.
·
BRICS
meeting:
Pezeshkian met Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the
sidelines of the BRICS Summit on 12
September 2026.
·
Economic
cooperation: The
two sides discussed expanding bilateral
economic cooperation, with Pezeshkian describing the outlook as
promising.
·
Regional
significance: The
meeting is important because Iran-UAE relations have come under strain since
the West Asia conflict
began.
·
Iran-GCC
talks: The
Iran-UAE meeting came just two
days before planned Iran-GCC talks in Oman on 14 September 2026.
·
Strait
of Hormuz: The
Iran-GCC meeting will discuss an agreement concerning transit through the Strait of Hormuz
and is the first such meeting since the conflict began.
·
US
reaction: US
President Donald Trump
dismissed the planned Iran-GCC talks, saying: “I don’t care. That’s up to them.”
·
Trump’s
timeline: Trump
reiterated his expectation that the Iran
conflict will end this year, potentially around the time of the
US midterm elections in
November.
·
Oil-price
prediction: Trump
predicted that oil and
gasoline prices would fall sharply once the conflict ends.
·
US-Iran
negotiations: Trump
claimed Iran is eager for
a deal with Washington, but said the US would accept only what
he considers the “right
deal.”
·
Broader
implication: The
Iran-UAE diplomatic reset and forthcoming Iran-GCC discussions indicate efforts
by regional countries to reduce
tensions, protect Gulf trade and establish arrangements for movement through
the Strait of Hormuz despite the continuing conflict.
·
Key
takeaway: The New Delhi BRICS summit has provided
an unexpected diplomatic opening between Iran and the UAE,
while the forthcoming Iran-GCC talks could become important for the security
and continuity of Hormuz
shipping and global energy supplies.
Iran and the
United Arab Emirates, whose relations have come under strain since the war in
West Asia began, have agreed to “put the past behind us and look to the
future”, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, a day after
meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New
Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit 2026.
“We had a good
conversation with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and agreed to put the past
behind us and look to the future,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian
president said the two sides also discussed prospects for expanding economic
cooperation, signalling a possible effort to reset bilateral ties amid
heightened regional tensions. Pezeshkian also said he held brief exchanges with
the presidents of Russia and China during the summit.
“A promising
outlook for the expansion of economic cooperation is taking shape,” he said.
The meeting
assumed greater significance as it came two days ahead of talks between Iran
and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Oman. The Iran-GCC meeting
will take place on September 14 to discuss an agreement on transit through the
Strait of Hormuz and will be the first such meeting since the start of the West
Asia conflict.
US President
Donald Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the planned Iran-GCC meeting, saying he had
no interest in the talks.
“I don’t care.
That’s up to them,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Ireland when asked
about the meeting planned in Oman.
Trump also
reiterated his expectation that the conflict with Iran would end this year,
possibly around the time of the US midterm elections in November, and predicted
a sharp fall in oil and gasoline prices.
“Iran will end
right after — maybe before — but it’ll end right after the midterms. Gasoline’s
going to drop like a rock,” Trump said.
He claimed Iran
was eager to reach an agreement with the United States, but said Washington
would only accept what he described as the “right deal”.
“Iran wants to
make a deal so bad. They are calling constantly. They want to make a deal.
They’ve got to make the right deal. I’m not going to make a deal that’s no
good,” Trump said.