Relationship dossier
Iran
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
Commercial and diplomatic engagement coexist with an unresolved dispute over three Gulf islands
Iran toward United Arab Emirates
-25Iran maintains control of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands, which the UAE claims, and rejects the UAE's sovereignty claims. Iran has also maintained diplomatic and commercial relations with the UAE, but the island dispute remains a substantial source of friction.
United Arab Emirates toward Iran
+5The UAE reduced diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016, while continuing to pursue commercial ties and diplomatic engagement. It restored ambassador-level representation in Tehran in 2022 and continues to assert sovereignty over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands.
Overall relationship
-10The enduring relationship combines significant commercial ties and renewed diplomatic engagement with a longstanding, unresolved dispute over three Gulf islands. Neither the commercial relationship nor diplomatic restoration has resolved the central sovereignty disagreement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and the United Arab Emirates maintain diplomatic and substantial commercial ties, alongside a persistent sovereignty dispute over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands, which Iran controls. The UAE reduced diplomatic ties in 2016 and later restored ambassador-level representation. Diplomatic engagement and commerce coexist with unresolved territorial tensions.
Areas of tension
- The UAE claims sovereignty over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands, which Iran controls.
Key developments
The UAE reduced diplomatic relations with Iran amid regional tensions.
The UAE restored ambassador-level representation in Tehran.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent bilateral economic cooperation are unclear.
- The prospects for resolving the dispute over Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands remain uncertain.