It is important that Iran is seeking to rebuild its relationships with its Arab neighbours in the Gulf. Decades of aggressive rhetoric and a willingness to support various groups trying to destabilise the region have required a significant change in Tehran’s stance, which is why Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to the Gulf this week was so important.
But improvement of Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbours cannot be merged into one mega deal because that would mean that progress across the board can only go as fast as the slowest element. This is why the UAE has welcomed the interim nuclear deal Iran has struck with the international community, as represented by the P5+1 (US, Russia, Britain, France, China + Germany). The UAE sees the benefit to the wider region of better relationships with Iran, even if at the same time the UAE insists that Iran should drop its claim to the UAE’s three islands in the Gulf that Tehran has falsely claimed for many years.
Media-friendly Zarif has just visited Kuwait, Oman and Qatar — having held talks with the UAE when Foreign Minister, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Tehran earlier last week. Saudi Arabia was missing from the list and Zarif has not been invited to Riyadh because the Saudis have taken a lead in promoting scepticism about the nuclear deal. A large part of Saudi anger is due to the deal’s sole focus on the nuclear element, ignoring Iran’s attempt to destabilise many of its neighbouring countries.
Zarif indicated his willingness to talk to the Saudis when he described Saudi Arabia as an extremely important country in the region and the Islamic world and his diplomatic campaign is designed to reassure the Arab states. But it will take more than rhetoric to prove his words and Iran will have to stop opportunistically promoting tensions whenever it finds the opportunity. The Gulf stands ready for friendly relations with Iran, if Tehran starts to observe the normal respect that neighbours require.
