Iran nuclear deal: Dubai leader backs easing of sanctions
The ruler of Dubai has told the BBC he supports the idea of lifting sanctions against Iran.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, also the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, said everyone would benefit if Iran was given space.
A limited easing of sanctions begins next Monday after the finalising of a deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
Dubai has long had strong trade links with Iran and is home to nearly half a million Iranians.
"You see, Iran is our neighbour and we don't want any problem... lift their sanctions and everybody will benefit," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Iran has agreed to allow regular inspections of its nuclear facilities in return for the easing of sanctions. It has always denied assertions by the West that it is trying to produce nuclear weapons.
However, Israel has not ruled out taking military action to stop Iran developing a nuclear capability.
Tougher embargoes
Sheikh Mohammed said former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had reassured him that Tehran had no intention of building a nuclear weapon.
'I think that they're telling the truth when they say [the nuclear programme] is just for civilian power," he said.
"I talked to Ahmadinejad and he said 'if I send a rocket to Israel, how many Palestinians will I kill? And then the US and Europe will destroy my cities. I'm not crazy to go for that. It's a weapon of the past'."
Analysts say Iran has long used Dubai - one of seven states that form the United Arab Emirates - to circumvent sanctions, but tougher embargoes imposed over the past two years have limited that trade.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says not all of Dubai's Arab neighbours will share Sheikh Mohammed's view.
Saudi Arabia sees sanctions as a way of controlling Iranian expansion, while Bahrain accuses Tehran of fuelling violent protests in its villages, he says.
Iran has agreed with world powers to halt enrichment of uranium above 5% purity, and "neutralise" its stockpile of near-20%-enriched uranium.
In return, certain sanctions will be suspended on trade in gold and precious metals, Iran's automotive sector, and its petrochemical exports.
In a wide-ranging interview, Sheikh Mohammed also said he believe Syria's President Bashar al-Assad could eventually be replaced.
"Assad will take a long time... but if you kill your people you can't stay... eventually he will go," he said.
Sheikh Mohammed also said he hoped that Egypt's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will not run for the presidency.
The military toppled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July. Elections are scheduled to take place by the autumn of 2014.
"I hope he stays in the army. And someone else stands for the presidency," Sheikh Mohammed said.
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