Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, will travel to the United Arab Emirates for talks on Thursday, in the latest sign of improving relations between the Islamic republic and Gulf states.
The trip comes after Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed last week to restore diplomatic ties within two months, putting an end to a seven-year rift. The agreement between the rival Middle East powers was part of a China-brokered deal signed by Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing.
Shamkhani had extra credibility as a regional dealmaker because Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appointed him secretary of the powerful Supreme National Security Council, according to analysts in the country.