Today Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited the United Arab Emirates. Just days after Vice President Cheney visited the region. Ahmadinejad was greeted with pomp and circumstance upon his arrival, though Emirati leaders kept their distance thereafter.
This was the first visit by an Iranian leader to the UAE. This is a major shift in relations compared to the previous two decades. There has always been a tension between the Gulf States and Iran as Iran has sought to export revolution and empower the Shia's throughout the gulf, which would be a problem as these states are led by Sunnis.
Throughout Ahmandinejad's trip he demanded that the US presence in the region, with its 60,000 troops stationed throughout ground bases and ships must leave the region. The Emirati public may have agreed with this stance to a certain extent, but by no means did the Emirati leadership agree. As a matter of fact the day Ahmadinejad left the UAE the Emirati foreign minister departed for the United States.
Is Iran still vying for regional dominance or genuinely seeking cooperation with neighboring states? there has been a proposed joint cooperation between the two states to help one another in developing various sectors of their economy, including tourism amongst others...
Ahmadinejad is now en route to Oman, where the US has troops at 3 airbases...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6633074,00.html
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