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ABU DHABI -- The United Arab Emirates, a staunch U.S. ally and a neighbor to Iran, is tightening oversight of government workers and foreign residents because of concerns about the threat of infiltration by Iranian agents.

Some Emirati citizens and expatriates in the civil service have been reassigned or stripped of responsibilities, according to people familiar with the matter. Other private-sector workers suspected of ties to Iranian-linked groups have also lost their jobs, these people said.

The policy has triggered concern that the U.A.E. government is targeting Shiites as potential threats because of the religious affiliation they share with Iranians, rather than because of any hard evidence linking them to the Iranian government.

Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri visited the U.A.E. capital, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday in part to discuss the deportation of 44 Lebanese and their families, all Shiites, from the U.A.E. this summer.