UAE Sees No Choice but Diplomacy with Iran: Report

The UAE’s diplomatic adviser to the president, Anwar Gargash, said on Thursday that the Biden administration is right in prioritizing the diplomatic path with Iran, but he stressed the need for regional voices at the negotiating table, UAE-based “National” Daily reported.

Speaking at the Brookings Institute, made clear that “other than diplomacy, we [the UAE] see no option at all” with Iran. The senior Emirati official emphasized his country’s commitment to seeking de-escalation with Iran and said the UAE has dispatched such a message to Tehran through the European Union in the past.

“Even with maximum pressure [under former US President Donald Trump], we sent messages [to Iran] through the Europeans about the need for diplomacy and de-escalation,” he said.

The UAE has long pushed for regional countries to be at the table in negotiations on a future nuclear deal after the Trump administration abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.