UAE and Iran leaders hold first meeting since war began, on sidelines of BRICS summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sat down together on September 12 at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. It was the first time leaders from the two countries had met face-to-face since the West Asia conflict erupted on February 28. The fact that the meeting happened at all is the story. Just three weeks earlier, on August 19, the UAE suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran after Iranian missiles were launched toward Emirati territory. Diplomatic relations between the two Gulf neighbors have been described in terms usually reserved for mountaineering expeditions: trust, Emirati officials have said, “is a mountain to climb.” What happened in New Delhi The bilateral sit-down took place on the margins of the 18th BRICS Summit, which brought together leaders from across the expanded bloc in India’s capital. The two leaders discussed regional de-escalation, stability, and ongoing peace initiatives, according to reporting from the summit. Both nations ultimately endorsed the BRICS New Delhi Declaration, a joint statement that addressed rising tensions across the Middle East. The declaration called for...