‘Surprise and relief’: Scribes from UAE, Iran react to their leaders’ meeting
Journalists from the UAE and Iran expressed surprise and relief following a meeting between their respective leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Despite historical tensions and proxy conflicts, the media delegations maintained a professional demeanor while acknowledging the human-level desire for better relations.
Why it matters
This diplomatic engagement signals a potential thaw in regional tensions between two major Middle Eastern powers, facilitated by India's mediation efforts.
As United Arab Emirate’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, media delegations from the respective countries — sharing the room at Bharat Mandapam — expressed surprise and relief at the development. The UAE has been at the receiving end of a series of Iranian strikes on its cities with Tehran calling it a proxy of the United States. Meanwhile, as tensions remained between the phrasing of the war in West Asia in the summit document had divided Iran and UAE in the last six months. However, as India achieved the much-anticipated consensus at the BRICS summit between UAE and Iran on Saturday, the visiting leaders from two sides also held a one on one meeting.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in