Iran's Pezeshkian Meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince in Delhi at BRICS Summit, Highest-Level Iran-UAE Contact Since War Began

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi on Saturday September 12, marking the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the Iran war began in February, according to the Iranian embassy in India and multiple outlets. The bilateral meeting came as relations between Iran and the UAE have been severely strained after Iran targeted US military bases in the UAE in recent months as part of its retaliation for American strikes on Iranian installations. The meeting also took place ahead of the planned Iran-GCC-Iraq ministerial gathering in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. The Delhi meeting does not signal a rapprochement between Tehran and Abu Dhabi, analysts cautioned, but the BRICS summit provided a convenient multilateral framework that made the encounter easier to arrange than a bilateral state visit. India's role as host created space for both leaders to meet without appearing to concede ground. The timing is significant as the UAE, like other Gulf states, faces a strategic dilemma: resolving hostile relations with Iran is essential for the UAE's economic model built on attracting foreign capital and talent, yet direct engagement risks appearing to appease a power that has struck UAE territory multiple times since the war's outbreak. The fact that the meeting occurred at all suggests Gulf states are positioning themselves for Monday's Salalah talks, even as Bahrain announced it would boycott that gathering.