Qatari PM visits Tehran to restart talks with Iran

Qatari Prime Minister Visits Tehran to Relaunch Talks with Iran

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Tehran on August 27 to resume diplomatic talks with Iran. He met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to discuss the situation in the region, reducing tensions, and creating conditions for dialogue between the parties.

Qatar, Iran’s neighbor in the Persian Gulf and a US ally, has been acting as a covert diplomatic channel between the warring parties. The country was directly involved in brokering a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran in June. However, the memorandum signed in June later fell through, in particular due to disagreements between Iran and the US over control of the Strait of Oman.

While the sides have so far suspended military strikes, no diplomatic agreement has been reached to end the war. The Qatari-Iranian meeting discussed a phased plan that would see the creation of a temporary joint Iran-Oman shipping corridor through the strait and a joint project to clear the waterway of mines.

The Strait of Oman remains a key issue in the talks. Before the war, about a fifth of the world's oil supplies passed through the waterway. According to Reuters, only 5 million barrels of oil a day were passing through the strait on August 25. The International Maritime Organization said that since February 28, 70 incidents had been recorded in the strait, in which 19 sailors died.

The United States, meanwhile, has shifted from military to economic pressure and announced plans to impose new sanctions on Iran's trading partners. Tehran has described the measures as "all-out economic warfare." The visit of the Qatari prime minister to Tehran was the latest diplomatic attempt to revive talks between Iran and the United States in this context.

It was previously reported that the war with Iran had a serious impact on Qatar's economy. The country's main source of income is liquefied natural gas exports, and Iran's retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Qatar have damaged gas production, and exports through the Strait of Hormuz have also become more difficult. The International Monetary Fund has forecast that Qatar's economic output will shrink by 8.6 percent in 2026.