Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, received Ali Akbar Salehi in the capital Abu Dhabi, Emirati state news agency WAM said of the unannounced visit.
Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, who has criticised Iran's policy in the region, was present at the meeting, it said, without elaborating on the content of the talks.
Tension has been running high between Iran and its Arab neighbours across the Gulf, with the two sides locked in a war of words since Shiite-led protests against Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty broke out in mid-February.
Iran escalated its criticism of Sunni-ruled Gulf countries after they sent troops into Bahrain to boost the security forces of the government which cracked down on demonstrators in mid-March.
Last week, Salehi warned while in Qatar of "bad repercussions" from the situation in Bahrain, where authorities are accused of oppressing the Shiite majority.
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