TEHERAN (AFP) – A senior Emirati security official is due in Iran on Monday (Dec 6), ISNA news agency reported, in the latest outreach between the two countries since a downgrading of ties five years ago.

United Arab Emirates National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al-Nahyan “will arrive tomorrow in Teheran” at the invitation of Mr Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the semi-official news agency said on Sunday.

It will be the first visit of an official from the UAE to Iran since the Gulf state downgraded ties with the Islamic republic in 2016.

That came after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a revered Shi’ite cleric.

Shi’ite-majority Iran and its Sunni rival Saudi Arabia have held several rounds of talks since April aimed at improving ties.

“The development and reinforcement of bilateral relations and examination of regional developments” will be under discussion during Sheikh Tahnoun’s visit, ISNA said.

The mission will follow a Nov 26 trip to the UAE and Kuwait by Teheran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri.

In Abu Dhabi, Mr Bagheri met Mr Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president.

Mr Bagheri said at the time there was agreement to “open a new chapter” with the UAE and to “open new horizons” with Kuwait, which also belongs with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

The Emirates and Iran have remained important economic partners.

Mr Bagheri will meet Sheikh Tahnoun before talks between Iran and major world powers are expected to resume in Vienna later this week.

The negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme ended last Friday (Dec 3) after having restarted five days earlier.

Washington on Saturday warned it would not allow Iran to “slow walk” the nuclear talks while at the same time ramping up its atomic activities.

The United States is an indirect party to the talks involving Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

Iran has always insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

More on this topic

Join ST’s Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Source: Read Full Article