Iran-UAE reset in Delhi? Pezeshkian, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince meet amid tensions

Masoud Pezeshkian met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The meeting stood out as Iran and the UAE kept diplomatic channels open amid recent regional tensions.

In Short

• Iran-UAE talks against a backdrop of rising tensions in Middle East
• The talks took place in New Delhi during the BRICS leaders' summit
• Iranian President calls on BRICS to oppose attacks on civilian infrastructure

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in New Delhi on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, opening a rare high-level diplomatic channel between Tehran and Abu Dhabi as the war in West Asia continues to strain relations across the region.

The meeting was the highest-level contact between Iran and the UAE since the start of the conflict and came as the two countries signed up to a joint BRICS statement calling for restraint in the Middle East.

The talks carried added weight because Iran has repeatedly launched missiles and drones at the UAE during the conflict, attacks that Abu Dhabi has publicly condemned as a threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The meeting also put New Delhi at the centre of a delicate diplomatic effort involving two countries that have been pulled deeper into the regional confrontation.

A RARE IRAN-UAE CHANNEL

The two leaders discussed regional and international issues, de-escalation, stability, and efforts to advance regional peace and development, according to the Abu Dhabi media office. It did not disclose whether the talks produced any specific agreement.

Iran's embassy in India also posted a photograph of the meeting but did not provide details of the discussions.

The encounter comes after months of increasingly sharp exchanges between Tehran and Abu Dhabi. Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted the UAE during the conflict, most recently in late August when Iran targeted Al Minhad Air Base, which housed US forces and helicopters.

The UAE has repeatedly condemned the attacks. In March, Emirati officials said the country was in a state of defence but stressed that it did not want to be drawn into a wider conflict. By May, Abu Dhabi described the attacks as an "unacceptable act of aggression" and a direct threat to its security and territorial integrity, holding Iran responsible for the consequences.

That history makes Saturday's meeting more than a routine encounter at a multilateral summit.

It gives Tehran and Abu Dhabi a direct channel at a moment when military confrontation has made regional diplomacy considerably harder. Despite condemning Iranian attacks, the UAE leadership has continued to call for restraint, dialogue and a diplomatic solution to the wider crisis.

BRICS TRIES TO BRIDGE THE DIVIDE

The Iran-UAE meeting also unfolded against a broader effort at the BRICS summit to find common ground on the war.

Iran and the UAE joined the other BRICS members in backing a joint statement that expressed concern over the escalation in the Middle East and called for "maximum restraint" and an end to actions that could further aggravate the situation. The declaration called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the protection of global trade, supply chains, energy flows and maritime security.

For summit organisers and diplomats, getting Tehran and Abu Dhabi to accept common language on the conflict was itself a diplomatic test. The two countries have found themselves on opposing sides of a rapidly worsening regional security environment, but both have an interest in preventing the war from further disrupting trade, energy supplies and maritime routes.

The joint declaration may have limited immediate impact on the battlefield, but it demonstrated that BRICS members could still find common ground despite sharply different positions on the conflict.

"The key to ending the war lies with the US and Israel," Sunjay Sudhir, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE, told news agency Reuters.

"What India has done is keep the difficult conversations going, by showing that countries of the region can sit at the same table, engage diplomatically, and build on where their interests converge."

PEZESHKIAN TAKES AIM AT US PRESSURE

For Pezeshkian, the BRICS summit was also an opportunity to press the grouping to take a stronger position against US pressure on Iran. Addressing the summit, the Iranian President urged BRICS members to take practical measures against sanctions and argued that the grouping should become a stronger voice on what Tehran describes as attacks against civilian infrastructure.

Host India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BRICS had "come of age" and urged members to turn their unity and consensus into concrete results on the global stage. The bloc is seeking a bigger role in shaping international rules while pushing for reforms to institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation, which some BRICS members view as being dominated by Western powers.

- Ends