Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 11:39:13 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Gulf Arabs Enjoy Iranian Thaw

Posted Dec 23, 07 4:30 AM CST in Business,  World 

(Newser) – Relations between the Sunni states in the Persian Gulf and the Shias in Iran were chilly before Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, and they became even frostier afterward. But  now the worm is beginning to turn—and former rivals are making nice. Burdened with UN sanctions and needing new trading partners, Tehran has been knocking on doors across the Gulf—in the UAE, in Bahrain and at a recent Arab summit.

Not wanting to get caught up in a war between the US and the axis of evil, the Gulf states are responding positively, the Economist notes. After the recent summit, the Saudis invited Ahmadinejad to join the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca—and he accepted the offer. There’s still much hair-pulling over Tehran’s weapons program, but it’s hard to say no to business—there are 9,000 part-Iranian-owned firms in Dubai alone.

Source Economist

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Iran Boosts Uranium Stockpile

    Nov 20, 08 2:42 AM CST
    Iran Boosts Uranium Stockpile Iran is rapidly moving forward with its nuclear program and may already have enriched enough uranium to take the next step toward building a nuclear bomb, the Financial Times reports. The uranium will need more enrichment to reach weapons-grade levels, say UN experts, who believe the country will wait until it has amassed more nuclear material before attempting the "breakthrough."
    More »

  • Want to Stop Iran, President Obama? Cut Its Gas Supply

    Nov 13, 08 12:47 PM CST
    Want to Stop Iran, President Obama? Cut Its Gas Supply Could Barack Obama petro-blackmail Iran on its nuclear ambitions? Former State Department official Orde Kittrie thinks so. Despite abundant crude oil, limited refining capacity forces Iran to import 40% of its gasoline, Kittrie explains in the Wall Street Journal. And though none of its main suppliers are based in the US, four of the five companies are European; perhaps the new president should test his diplomatic skills on persuading them to boycott. More »

  • Iran Toughens Stance on Obama

    Nov 13, 08 10:34 AM CST
    Iran Toughens Stance on Obama Facing a US president-elect willing to negotiate, just as they’ve asked for, Iran’s leaders have adopted a more hostile tone toward Barack Obama, the Washington Post reports. “People who put on a mask of friendship, but with the objective of betrayal, and who enter from the angle of negotiations without preconditions, are more dangerous,” one military official said yesterday. More »

  • Iran Claims to Test New Missile

    Nov 12, 08 3:54 PM CST
    Iran Claims to Test New Missile The Iranian government said today it test-fired a new model of missile capable of reaching Israel or US bases in the Middle East, although it insisted its intentions were peaceful, the Times of London reports. Tehran released photos of a test of what it said were Sejil missiles, which it said can be upgraded to have a range of 1,200 miles. More »

  • Iran Impeaches Minister for Fake Oxford Degree

    Nov 4, 08 3:08 PM CST
    Iran Impeaches Minister for Fake Oxford Degree It turns out lying on your resume is frowned upon in Tehran, too. Iran’s parliament gave Interior Minister Ali Kordan the boot today, for posing as an honorary Oxford law graduate, the Daily Telegraph reports. Kordan’s bogus diploma is riddled with typos and misspellings, declaring Kordan “intitled” to an honorary doctorate “in order to be benefitted from its scientific privileges.” More »

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, left, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, take questions from journalists Saturday, July 14, 2007, at a press conference in Manama,...   (Associated Press)
Trading dhow prepare to leave the creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday May 24, 2007. Unlike the targeted U.N. measures, the Bush administration's broad sanctions are starting to slow Iran's...   (Associated Press)
Iran's President, Mahmood Ahmadinejad whispers in the ear of an Iranian student on his arrival at the Iranian Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday May 13, 2007. Ahmadinejad is in UAE for a two...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

Iran • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • Dubai • UN sanctions • Bahrain


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »