RIYADH, Dec 14 Reuters -- Gulf Arab leaders gather on Tuesday for an annual summit expected to stress cohesion after a deep rift, at a time of regional concern over Iran and rising economic rivalry within the oil-producing bloc.
The Saudi crown prince toured the Gulf states ahead of the summit, which comes nearly a year after Riyadh put an end to a 3 -- 1 2 year Arab boycott of Qatar that had shattered the U.S. allied Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saudi Arabia and non-Gulf Egypt have restored diplomatic ties with Doha, but the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have yet to do so, even though Abu Dhabi has moved to mend fences.
Senior UAE official Anwar Gargash said last week that there are areas that need some time, but I mean practical, functional Gulf cooperation is back on track.
Saudi media said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's tour aimed to highlight solidarity as global powers try to revive a nuclear pact with Iran, amid deepening Gulf uncertainty about the U.S. role in the region.
Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran are locked in a rivalry for influence that has played out in the region, such as Yemen's war and Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah's rising power has frayed Beirut's Gulf ties.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are engaging with Tehran to deal with Tehran, concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions, missile programme and regional proxies.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have moved away from hawkish foreign policies that saw them wade into Yemen and lead the boycott of Qatar, to a more conciliatory approach as they try to lure foreign investment and win over U.S. President Joe Biden.
Abu Dhabi has moved faster to mend fences with Iran and Turkey while re-engaging with Syria after forging ties with Israel last year.