DHAKA: Dubai’s ruler has urged the international community to ease sanctions against Iran, in an interview broadcast by the BBC on Monday.

Asked whether he thought it was now time to lift sanctions against Iran, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, told the British broadcaster:

‘I think so ... Iran is our neighbour and we don’t want any problem,’ he said, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The vast majority of trade between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours is routed through Dubai, home to tens of thousands of ethnic Iranians and one of seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates.

A deal between Iran and six major powers intended to pave the way to a solution to a long standoff over Tehran`s nuclear ambitions will come into force on January 20, the Iranian foreign ministry and the European Union said on Sunday.

BDST: 1923 HRS, JAN 13, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor