ABU DHABI – Iran should reconsider its policies in the region and respect the unity of Gulf countries, the UAE foreign minister said Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, amid heightened regional tension. “Iran should reconsider its policies in the region,” Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council, told a news conference after an annual GCC and European Union ministerial meeting.
And it “should respect the unity and sovereignty of Gulf countries,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
His remarks come amid heightened regional tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbours across the Gulf, with the two sides locked in a war of words that began during Shiite-led protests against Bahrain’s Sunni dynasty.
A Saudi-led Gulf force entered Bahrain on March 14, freeing up Bahraini security forces to crush the protest movement in the only Shiite-majority Gulf Arab state — a move criticised by Iran. On Monday, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa said the Gulf troops had entered the country “to deter an external threat,” a reference to Iran.
