TEHRAN, Sept 14 — Iran and the United Arab Emirates, whose relations have deteriorated since the start of the Middle East war, want to “turn the page”, the Iranian president said yesterday.

“For the first time since the war and the incidents that occurred in the Persian Gulf, we had a constructive exchange with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi,” Massoud Pezeshkian said a day after a meeting with Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in India, on the sidelines of the Brics summit.

“It was agreed that we would turn the page, look to the future and build it together.”

After US-Israeli attacks on Iran in February launched the Middle East war, Tehran retaliated against America’s allies in the region, with the UAE bearing much of the brunt.

In August, the UAE announced it was suspending trade and financial exchanges with Iran.

Dubai, the UAE’s largest city, is home to a deeply rooted Iranian community and is a vital economic lifeline for Iran, which is struggling under the weight of US and international sanctions. — AFP