National security officials from UAE, Iran hold first in-person meeting since war’s start – report

Senior national security officials from the United Arab Emirates and Iran met in person this week for the first time since the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran, sources with knowledge of the matter tell Bloomberg.

The meeting marked “a stark turnaround” for the two countries amid an increasing understanding of the need to de-escalate bilateral tensions, the sources tell the outlet, without providing further details on the meeting’s purpose or content.

The report indicates a potential shift in Abu Dhabi’s approach to the Iran war, after weeks of drone and missile bombardment from Iran drew a more hawkish response from the Gulf country, which in turn reportedly aligned itself further with Israel, including through coordinated attacks on Iran and military intelligence sharing.