Iran Appoints Ambassador To U.A.E. In Continued Push To Warm Relations With Gulf States

Iran has appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for the first time in seven years as Tehran continues to attempt to thaw relations with several of its Gulf state neighbors. The state news agency IRNA reported that Reza Ameri, the head of the Foreign Ministry's expatriates office, has taken up the post. He previously also held the posts of ambassador to Algeria and ambassador to Sudan and Eritrea. Relations between Iran and the U.A.E. were downgraded after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran following Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.