Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is due to visit Tehran on Thursday to discuss de-escalating tensions and creating conditions for renewed dialogue between Iran and the United States.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the visit on Wednesday, and Iran confirmed it. Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, is expected to meet a number of Iranian officials. Qatar said the visit reflects its position that diplomacy is the best way to resolve differences and promote regional security and stability.
Qatar’s mediation role faces a stalled process
Qatar has acted as a back-channel negotiator between Washington and Tehran and helped secure a memorandum of understanding in June that briefly paused hostilities. The agreement collapsed in July. Fighting is now largely paused, but there has been no diplomatic breakthrough, with the conflict nearing its sixth month.
The Strait of Hormuz is central to the dispute
The talks will also address the Strait of Hormuz and the need for it to return to the status quo before February 28, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Before the war, the waterway carried roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil per day and handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments; flows had fallen to 5 million barrels per day on Monday. For additional context, see “Asim Munir heads to Tehran for a third Iran visit this year”.
Iran wants control over the strait, while the United States wants it to remain an international waterway open to all. The disagreement contributed to the collapse of the June memorandum.
US and Iran remain far apart on pressure
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was in “no hurry” to resume talks with Iran and had “no time schedule”, while arguing that economic and military action were effective. The United States has also promised to increase economic pressure on Tehran by sanctioning its trade partners.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the United Nations calling the new sanctions an “act of state and economic terrorism” and urging countries not to implement them. He said the measures harm civilians by restricting access to food, medicine, medical equipment, energy and other essentials. A related part of this story is covered in “Iran and Oman weigh a temporary shipping route through Hormuz”.
Other regional efforts are continuing
The visit follows talks in Tehran between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and Araghchi. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the countries agreed on a temporary shipping route through the strait but that it would not reopen until the United States fulfils commitments under the June deal, including lifting sanctions and releasing frozen assets.
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, also visited Tehran earlier in the week. Islamabad said those discussions had made “significant progress” in an effort to end the stalemate. The development of this issue can be followed in “Temporary Hormuz shipping corridor agreed, Iran says”.
What happens next
Sheikh Mohammed is due to meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday, with discussions expected to cover Qatar’s mediation efforts, regional developments, de-escalation and the Strait of Hormuz.
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