ISLAMABAD - United Arab Emirates National Security Advisor went on a secret mission to Iran to defuse the tensions.
The national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed, has been visiting Tehran on a secret mission aiming to defuse the tensions in the Gulf, according to a senior security source in the UAE.
The visit by Zayed, also the younger brother of Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed, marks the highest-level meeting between Abu Dhabi and Tehran after four tankers off the Emirati port of Fujairah were attacked in May, *Al Jazeera* link reported on Monday.
The US military accused Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of being directly responsible for attacks on the tankers. Washington has labelled the IRGC a “terror” group.
However, the UAE itself never publicly blamed Iran.
Last month, Abu Dhabi welcomed an initiative by European leaders to ease tension with Iran and open a diplomatic path.
“With persistence, the E3 [Britain, France and Germany] can open up a new channel of communication and establish greater trust,” UAE foreign affairs minister Anwar Gargash wrote in the *Financial Times*.
“The UAE, Iran and other states can share the Gulf as normal neighbours, if not as the best of friends.”