His Excellency Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to His Highness the President of the UAE, affirmed that the region cannot continue to move from one crisis to another, noting the need for Iran to make concessions in any new agreement to end the war. He stressed that the principle of non-aggression is of particular importance to the UAE.

In an interview with the American website Al-Monitor, during an event in New York on Sunday, His Excellency stressed the need to adopt a regional strategic vision that places the Arab Gulf states at the heart of security talks with Iran, instead of them merely being a party that receives Iranian attacks while Tehran conducts negotiations with the United States.

His Excellency predicted a period of instability in Iranian society, while emphasising the UAE’s commitment to prioritising diplomacy and establishing good relations with its neighbour.

Speaking about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Gargash said: “We realise that we will be dealing with an unstable Iran for some time… Ultimately, we are facing a crisis that will go through different phases and will take a long time. We also see an Iran that is completely different from what it has been for the past 37 years under a single central authority represented by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.”

The diplomatic advisor to His Highness the President of the UAE pointed out that it will be difficult for the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to fill this huge void or to live up to the level of his predecessor.

He said that the Iranians prefer to discuss strategic issues with the United States, noting that Tehran tends to discuss issues of a reciprocal nature, such as the issue of frozen funds, with its neighbours.

He added: "We need a new mindset. Such discussions about the nature of the region we all want, the form of stability we seek, and the foundations of development, which are closely linked to stability, are discussions that, although they can be conducted at the Iranian-American level, should also take place at the Iranian-Arab level."

Anwar Gargash: The region cannot continue to move from one crisis to another