Middle East Leaders Attend Iranian President Raisi's Funeral in Tehran

Leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait attend Iranian President Raisi's funeral, marking a significant moment in Gulf-Iranian relations. These nations recently brokered historic deals to normalize ties after years of tension. Tensions still exist, particularly over the disputed Durra gas field.

Qatar's emir and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait travelled on Wednesday to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, under whose tenure a historic deal that thawed relations between Tehran and its Gulf neighbours was brokered.

While Qatar has typically enjoyed warm relations with Iran, acting as a mediator between the Shi'ite Muslim country and the United States, other Gulf states had volatile relations with their neighbour. They had accused Iran of interfering in internal state affairs and backing regional foes, up until Riyadh and Tehran signed a landmark deal to normalise ties in 2023. In the same year, the UAE also upgraded diplomatic ties with Iran. Both states share business and trade ties stretching back more than a century, with the UAE's Dubai long being one of Iran's main links to the outside world.

Kuwait reappointed an ambassador to Tehran in 2022 after recalling its top envoy in solidarity with Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia when it severed ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016. Tensions still simmered over the offshore Durra gas field, where Saudi Arabia and Kuwait claim exclusive joint rights while Iran also claims a stake. Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six other passengers and crew were killed in a helicopter crash in Iran on Sunday.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, led a high-level delegation that included Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the foreign minister, to offer condolences for Raisi and Amirabdollahian, the emir's royal court said. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will attend the funeral.

Iranian state media showed UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan attending the funeral and paying respect to the deceased. Kuwait's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya also travelled to Tehran on Wednesday to participate in Raisi's funeral on behalf of the Kuwaiti emir, the foreign ministry reported.

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