Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to “put the past behind us and look to the future”, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday. This declaration from New Delhi, after the conclusion of the BRICS Summit 2026, came a day after a meeting between Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Thousands of kilometres away, US President Donald Trump said he “doesn’t care if Gulf nations meet with Iran,” asserting “it’s up to them”.

In New Delhi, Pezeshkian said he held brief exchanges with the presidents of Russia and China, and that there was a “promising outlook” for expanding economic cooperation.

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Iranian Embassy in India posted this update on their X handle. The UAE has made no similar announcement as yet.

President Pezeshkian, at the conclusion of his visit to India:

“We had a good conversation with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and agreed to put the past behind us and look to the future.

We also had discussions with the Presidents of Russia and China, which were mostly brief… pic.twitter.com/qxAhuUGDQb

— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) September 13, 2026

A day earlier, the embassy had posted about the meeting between the top leaders of the two countries.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with UAE Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. pic.twitter.com/keBkQ8VIvu

— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) September 12, 2026

What Trump said

Trump asserted again that Iran was “calling constantly” ​for peace talks, something that that Tehran has dismissed in the past. “Iran wants to make a deal badly,” he told reporters and added that he “doesn’t care if Gulf nations meet with Iran…that’s up to them”. The Republican leaders also gave a timeline on the West Asia conflict.

US President Donald Trump attends the Irish Open golf tournament at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, Ireland, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.

“Iran ​will end right ⁠after – maybe before – but it’ll end right after ‌the midterms. Gasoline’s going to drop like a rock,” Trump told reporters at the Irish Open golf championship.

“I ⁠will tell ⁠you this: Iran wants to make ⁠a deal ‌so bad. They ​are calling constantly. ‌They want to make a deal. ‌They’ve got to ​make ​the ​right deal. I’m not going to ​make a deal that’s no ⁠good,” he said.

Why Iran-UAE development matters

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Iran and the UAE have found themselves on either side during the ongoing West Asia conflict that began with missile decapitation strikes by the United States and Israel against Tehran.

Last month, the UAE had suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran after accusing the country’s military forces of launching two ballistic missiles towards it. Iran had denied this claim.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said the decision was taken in response to escalations that undermine peace and security in the region and all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran had been halted until further notice, Al Jazeera reported.

Multiple UAE tankers have been hit in alleged Iranian attacks, with a few Indians also losing their lives.

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The defence ministry of the UAE had then said that two tankers were “targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters”. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s shipping arm ADNOC L&S said the vessels had sustained “significant damage”.