Iran on Tuesday appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for the first time since 2016, amid a realignment of relations between Gulf states and Iran. Iran's newly appointed ambassador Reza Ameri had served as the Director General of the Iranian expatriates' office in the Foreign Ministry. The move comes after the UAE in last August moved to upgrade ties and said it was returning its ambassador to Tehran.<br />''  <br />'' The UAE downgraded relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. The UAE, which has business and trade ties with Iran stretching back more than a century, started re-engaging with Tehran in 2019 after attacks in Gulf waters and on Saudi energy sites.<br />''