Dubai: United Arab Emirates President’s Adviser Anwar Gargash has said that Iran’s attacks on the UAE have severely damaged trust between the two countries, warning that rebuilding confidence will take an extremely long time.
Speaking about the future of relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran, Gargash stressed that the loss of confidence was not caused by the UAE but by what he described as Iran’s attacks against the country.
“Confidence has been shaken, and it has not been shaken by us. It’s been shaken by Iran’s attack on us,” Gargash said.
He distinguished between diplomatic relations and the restoration of mutual trust, saying that the two were separate issues.
According to Gargash, diplomatic channels with Iran remain in place through ongoing mediation efforts, and relations are already being maintained at the diplomatic level.
However, he emphasised that the real challenge was restoring confidence, which he said would require an exceptionally long period.
“What really has been broken is confidence, and that will take an extremely long time for us to try to rebuild,” he stated.
Gargash’s remarks indicate that despite continued diplomatic engagement and mediation, the UAE considers the damage to bilateral trust a major obstacle to restoring normal relations with Iran.