- Following a regional push for settlement, Qatar and the UAE reopened their embassies after agreeing to restore their diplomatic connection.
- Despite an embargo of Doha, which split the Western-allied Gulf Arab coalition, the two Gulf states reopened.
- The two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, reached out to each other on Monday after the embassies reopened, the Qatari government said in a statement.
- The schism between Abu Dhabi and Doha arose over regional dominance, Islam’s role in politics, and Middle Eastern pro-democracy movements.
- The reopening of the diplomatic missions coincides with a thawing of Gulf rivalry following the announcement by Saudi Arabia and Iran in March that their seven-year diplomatic hiatus was over.
- Following that, there were other reconciliations, notably the resumption of relations between Bahrain and Qatar in April.
- On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan paid a visit to Iran and met with President Ebrahim Raisi, marking yet another significant step in their rapprochement. Iran’s embassy in Riyadh reopened this month.
- Since they have long competed for power in the area by supporting opposite parties in situations like Yemen, the détente between Riyadh and Tehran appears to be a historic event.