As Gargash delivers Trump letter, can UAE play mediator role on Iran?
While the UAE seeks a greater mediator role in the region, covert rivalries among Gulf states and fragile Emirati-Iranian ties may limit its role.
Abu Dhabi made headlines on Wednesday as its senior diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash, traveled to Tehran to deliver a letter from US President Donald Trump addressed to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing direct negotiations between the two nations for a new nuclear agreement and warning of the alternative.
The effort, when taking into consideration the warm ties that United States has with the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi's evolving stance on Iran, confirms the Gulf country's mediation aspirations on the nuclear file.
Gargash delivered the letter in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in which the two discussed bilateral relations and regional issues. No further details were provided.
Since Trump's inauguration as president in January, anticipation had grown over whether he would revive his “maximum pressure” approach of sanctions on Iran that characterized his first term in the White House.
