Iran and Russia are strategic allies and form an axis in the Caucasus alongside Armenia. Iran and Russia are also military allies in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and partners in Afghanistan and post-Soviet Central Asia. Iran has its embassy in Moscow and consulates in the cities of Astrakhan and Kazan.

In modern usage, it embraces any of the Arabic-speaking peoples living in the vast region from Mauritania, on the Atlantic coast of Africa, to southwestern Iran, including the entire Maghrib of North Africa, Egypt and Sudan, the Arabian Peninsula, and Syria and Iraq.

On 4 January 2016, Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Iran, citing Iran’s “blatant and dangerous interference” in Bahrain and other Arab countries. This directly followed Saudi Arabia’s dissolution of diplomatic ties with Iran.

Both the countries maintain diplomatic relations with each other, having embassies in each other’s capitals. There is a significant community of Iranians in the United Arab Emirates, mostly residing in the emirate of Dubai.

The UAE plays an influential role in the Middle East, and is a key partner for the United States. The United States and the UAE enjoy strong bilateral cooperation on a full range of issues including defense, non-proliferation, trade, law enforcement, energy policy, and cultural exchange.

Nevertheless, Iran was the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel as a sovereign state after Turkey. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, and its theocratic government does not recognize the legitimacy of Israel as a state.

UAE has joined the United Nations and the Arab League and has established diplomatic relations with more than 60 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Russia, India, Nepal, United States, and most Western European countries.

On 5 June 2017, the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. This was precipitated by messages broadcast by the Qatar News Agency in May 2017 which criticized Saudi Arabia and cast Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood in a positive light.

Militarily, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France negotiated a defence cooperation agreement to diversify the UAE’s procurement of weaponry, in addition to a significant military relationship with the United States; France is one of the country’s primary providers of military matériel.

Relations between the two countries have been described as strong and a “strategic partnership”, with the countries cooperating closely in Iraq, Egypt and Libya.

Middle East includes 18 countries. These are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Overview of Dubai city, United Arab Emirates. Dubai, also spelled Dubayy, city and capital of the emirate of Dubai, one of the wealthiest of the seven emirates that constitute the federation of the United Arab Emirates, which was created in 1971 following independence from Great Britain.

Dubai is, in fact, one of the safest Middle Eastern countries for tourists. Its stricter laws mean that crime is kept to a minimum, and many tourists feel much safer in Dubai than they do in other parts of the globe. The crime rate in Dubai is much lower than comparable countries in other regions in the world.

Discovery of oil Coupled with the joining of the newly independent country of Qatar and Dubai to create a new currency, the Riyal, after the devaluation of the Persian Gulf rupee which had been issued by the Government of India, it enabled Dubai to rapidly expand and grow.