Iranian Opportuism exploits President Obama’s Silence

Iran foreign minister in UAE over Gulf tension
It is a good policy from Iran to move around in the Persian Gulf region and…
by fereydoun barkeshli

ABU DHABI, May 08, 2011 (AFP) – Iran’s foreign minister held talks Sunday with top officials in the United Arab Emirates amid tension between Gulf Arab states and Tehran over trouble in Bahrain, Emirati state news agency said. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, received Ali Akbar Salehi in the capital Abu Dhabi, WAM said of the previously unannounced visit.

Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, who has criticised Iran’s policy in the region, was present at the meeting, it said, without elaborating on the content of the talks. Tension has been running high between Iran and its Arab neighbours across the Gulf, with the two sides locked in a war of words since Shiite-led protests against Bahrain’s ruling Sunni dynasty broke out in mid-February.

Iran escalated its criticism of Sunni-ruled Gulf countries after they sent troops into Bahrain to boost the security forces of the government which cracked down on demonstrators in mid-March. Last week, Salehi warned while in Qatar of “bad repercussions” from the situation in Bahrain, where authorities are accused of oppressing the Shiite majority. …source