ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Sitting in his office in Abu Dhabi, the Iranian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told Al-Monitor that Iran is keen on opening relations with its Gulf neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, and ending tensions. Mohammad Reza Fayyaz has served for seven years as Iran’s ambassador to the UAE, a country that has excellent trade relations with Iran, despite tensions over the three conquered Northern Islands and differences in policies toward the region. Fayyaz told Al-Monitor in an interview that the UAE did not offer to mediate between Iran and other Gulf countries.
Fayyaz said that Iran blames Saudi Arabia for the region’s chaos, noting, “Our brothers in Saudi Arabia have made big mistakes in their decision-making.” He added that despite Iran being keen on adding new elements to its foreign policy, it will not change its policies of interference in countries in the region. The ambassador stressed that Tehran will continue to support its “Syrian brothers” and allies in Iraq. “When we begin we will finish the job,” he said. While Fayyaz said it is still too early to determine if Iran and the United States will foster more friendly relations beyond the nuclear deal, he expressed his view that "it's a very good time” to see whether the Americans are being honest.
