Iran Sectarian Policy Hurts Ties With GCC: UAE Minister
Irans inherently sectarian policy is undermining ties between the Islamic republic and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, said Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates minister of state for foreign affairs.
Gargash, in a speech delivered today in Abu Dhabi, said Iran was interfering in the affairs of Arab countries including Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and most recently and dramatically Yemen.
Yemens Shiite Houthi rebels have seized key cities in the country as the authority of the GCC-backed central government crumbles. The Houthis took control of the crossing along Saudi Arabias southern border this month. Shiite-ruled Iran supports the rebels rightful fight, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
The continued expansionism of Iranian influence in the Arab world poses a major problem in GCC-Iran relations, as well as Arab-Iranian relations more broadly, said Gargash. The fact that this foreign policy is inherently sectarian further exacerbates the tension in the region.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has pledged to seek to improve the countrys ties with the Sunni-ruled GCC countries, which include the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mahmoud Habboush in Abu Dhabi at mhabboush@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net Sara Marley
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Iran Sectarian Policy Hurts Ties With GCC: UAE Minister