“The United Arab Emirates has not received any request from the United States to open such an office. I can see that the matter is just a misunderstanding," Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said during a press conference he held in Teheran along with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

Shaikh Abdullah affirmed that all embassies and consulates accredited in the UAE operate within the international conventions that regulate diplomatic relations between different countries.  Shaikh Abdullah described his talks with Mottaki as “fruitful”, adding that they represented a good opportunity to measure Iran’s opinions on different regional and international issues.  Responding to a question on reports about US plans to attack Iran, Shaikh Abdullah said it was hard to answer a question that is not based on clear information.

On what would be UAE’s position if Iran is attacked, Shaikh Abdullah said: “my presence in Iran is a best answer. The UAE has always been and will remain a friend to Iran and its people. If the question is about another country, I am afraid I cannot answer that on its behalf but I know that my brothers in the GCC countries hold friendly feelings for Iran.”

:There could be some differences in views here and there,” he went on, “but such differences will not turn into animosity.” “I think that someone wants to create that impression, but for us, we want stability for the region.”

Shaikh Abdullah pointed out that both UAE and Iran share a desire to encourage private sector investments in the two countries, referring to Iran’s historic bonds with the GCC countries.  For his part, Mottaki praised the role being played by the UAE saying that relations between the two countries are not aimed against any country.

“The UAE officials assured that they are interested in brotherly relations with Iran and that they would not allow any activity against it in their country,” he said.