Iran and UAE hold highest-level meeting since start of West Asia conflict

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a historic meeting on September 12, 2026, at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking their highest-level contact since the West Asia conflict began. The leaders agreed to "turn the page" and look to the future, despite severe tensions including a August 2026 trade suspension by the UAE and Iranian strikes on Al Minhad Air Base. Both nations backed a joint BRICS declaration urging maximum restraint, even as regional divisions persist with Bahrain boycotting upcoming maritime security talks in Oman.

Iran-UAE BRICS summit meeting

• ▪Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on September 13, 2026, that he and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed to put the past behind them, turn the page, and look to the future
• ▪Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on September 12, 2026, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi
• ▪The meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan marked the highest-level meeting between Iran and the UAE since the start of the West Asia conflict

West Asia conflict tensions

• ▪Iran targeted the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, which housed United States forces and helicopters, in late August 2026
• ▪The United Arab Emirates accused Iranian military forces of launching two ballistic missiles toward its territory in August 2026, a claim that Iran denied
• ▪A commercial vessel was struck by a projectile off Qeshm Island on September 13, 2026, killing one crew member and injuring four others amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran in August 2026 following regional military escalations

BRICS joint declaration on restraint

• ▪Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed the joint BRICS New Delhi Declaration 2026 on September 12, 2026, which called for maximum restraint, dialogue, and diplomacy in the Middle East
• ▪The BRICS New Delhi Declaration 2026 expressed concern over attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards

Strait of Hormuz regional talks

• ▪A regional meeting was scheduled in Oman for mid-September 2026 to brief Gulf littoral states and Iraq on the Iran-Oman negotiations regarding safe transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪Iran and Oman reached an agreement in late August 2026 on new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz, placing the entry route entirely within Iranian territorial waters

Iran-Gulf states diplomatic reset

• ▪Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran considers the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states as brothers and has no problems with them, directing objections instead at United States military bases in those countries
• ▪Bahrain's foreign ministry announced that Bahrain would not participate in the regional meeting in Oman, citing ongoing Iranian attacks across the Gulf and the lack of restored diplomatic relations with Tehran
• ▪United States President Donald Trump stated on September 13, 2026, that he does not care if Gulf nations meet with Iran, asserting that the decision is up to them

Debatable claims

• ▪The UAE should maintain its economic suspension against Iran
• ▪Gulf states should prohibit the US from launching military operations against Iran from their territory
• ▪The new Iran-Oman transit agreement threatens international maritime security
• ▪Bahrain is justified in boycotting the Oman regional transit talks