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Iran Top Diplomat in UAE Amid Growing Gulf Tensions


Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (file photo)
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (file photo)

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is meeting senior officials in the United Arab Emirates Sunday, amid growing tensions between Iran and Gulf nations due to the unrest in Bahrain.

Iran, which is predominantly Shi'ite, has heavily criticized efforts by Bahrain's Sunni leaders to quell the uprising by mostly Shi'ite protesters. The small Gulf nation has imposed martial law and invited troops from mainly Sunni-led neighboring states to help restrain the unrest.

Details from Salehi's talks Sunday have not been released.

Last week, the Iranian foreign minister visited Qatar and Oman, two of the six-nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that also includes the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Officials from the GCC will hold talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. The group strongly denounced Iran during their last meeting.

Bahraini officials have said 24 people died in the unrest, and the government has arrested hundreds in the aftermath of the protests.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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