UAE stresses new long-term solution for Middle East

Urges US, Iran to resolve nuclear standoff diplomatically

DUBAI:

The United Arab Emirates urged Iran and the United States on Tuesday to use the resumption of nuclear talks this week to resolve a standoff that has led to mutual threats of air strikes, emphasizing that the Middle East does not need another war.

Iran and the United States will discuss Iran's nuclear programme on Friday in Turkey, Iranian and US officials told Reuters on Monday. US President Donald Trump said that with big US warships heading to Iran, "bad things" would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.

A source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner would take part in the talks, along with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

An Iranian diplomatic source said Tehran's view of the talks is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, adding that the Islamic Republic's defensive capabilities are non-negotiable and that it is ready for any scenario.

"It remains to be seen whether the United States also intends to conduct serious, result-oriented negotiations or not," the source said.

Iranian sources have said Trump is also seeking to limit Iran's ballistic missile programme, which Iranian officials say is an essential component of the country's defence.

Earlier the UAE, a highly influential Gulf Arab oil producer and close US ally, said the region cannot afford another conflict. "I think that the region has gone through various calamitous confrontations," the UAE president's adviser Anwar Gargash told a panel at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.