Relations with Iran are essential because Iran is our neighbour. Iran is in the same geostrategic space, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, has said.

Axar.az reports, citing Fars News Agency, that Gargash added that the UAE and other Gulf countries did not want another round of confrontation in the region and favoured a diplomatic and political solution to the long-standing crisis.

“We in the UAE do not believe that a military solution is a reliable option,” he said, while warning that the outcome could not be guaranteed if political efforts failed to resolve the differences.

Gargash also said that trust had been damaged following what he described as Iran’s attack on the UAE.

“Trust has been damaged, and this damage was not caused by us; rather, trust was damaged following Iran’s attack on us,” he said.

He stressed that restoring trust would take a long time, distinguishing this process from the continuation of diplomatic relations with Tehran.