Qatar’s prime minister to visit Tehran, seeking to revive US-Iran talks

Sheikh Mohammed’s sojourn comes arsenic US-Israel warfare connected Iran nears its sixth period with nary diplomatic breakthrough successful sight.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is owed to sojourn Tehran connected Thursday for talks connected de-escalating tensions and reviving dialog betwixt Iran and the United States.

A spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the sojourn successful a connection connected X connected Wednesday.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Iran bets economical symptom volition unit Trump successful crippled of ‘chicken’
• list 2 of 4Trump threatens Iran’s partners: How bash secondary sanctions work?
• list 3 of 4Iran, Oman hold connected impermanent Hormuz route: What we know
• list 4 of 4Why Hormuz remains precocious hazard for ships contempt US claims of mine-clearing

Majed al-Ansari said Sheikh Mohammed, who is besides Qatar’s overseas minister, volition conscionable with “a fig of Iranian officials” successful Tehran to “discuss ways to de-escalate tensions” and “create the conditions conducive to dialogue”.

“The sojourn comes successful enactment with the State of Qatar’s steadfast presumption that the diplomatic way is the champion means of resolving differences & promoting information & stableness successful the region,” helium added.

Iran besides confirmed the visit, saying the discussions volition screen “the continuation of Qatar’s mediation efforts and initiatives, arsenic good arsenic different determination developments”.

Qatar has served arsenic a back-channel negotiator betwixt Washington and Tehran and helped unafraid a memorandum of knowing successful June that concisely paused hostilities. The statement collapsed successful July, and the struggle is present nearing its sixth month, with warring mostly paused but nary diplomatic breakthrough successful sight.

The US has, meanwhile, promised to summation economical unit connected Tehran by sanctioning its commercialized partners.

US President Donald Trump told Al Jazeera connected Wednesday that helium was successful “no hurry” to resume talks with Iran, saying that helium believed economical and subject enactment against Tehran were some effective.

“I person nary clip schedule; immoderate it takes,” helium said.

‘Economic terrorism’

Iran has continued to denounce the economical unit campaign.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the United Nations connected Wednesday calling the caller sanctions an “act of authorities and economical terrorism” and urging subordinate states not to instrumentality them.

“The sanctions deliberately harm civilians by restricting entree to food, medicine, aesculapian equipment, vigor and different essentials, violating rights including the rights to life, health, nutrient and an capable modular of living”, helium said.

The 2 sides besides stay astatine likelihood implicit the Strait of Hormuz, the strategical waterway that handled one-fifth of planetary lipid and liquefied earthy state shipments earlier the US-Israel warfare connected Iran began successful February.

Iran wants power implicit the strait, portion the US wants it to stay an planetary waterway that is escaped for all. That disagreement successful portion led to the collapse of the memorandum signed successful June.

Oil flows done the strait person since fallen to a three-month low, with conscionable 5 cardinal barrels per time (bpd) transiting connected Monday. Before the war, the strait carried astir 20 cardinal bpd of crude oil.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Sheikh Mohammed volition besides sermon the waterway successful his meetings successful Tehran connected Thursday, focusing connected “the request for it to instrumentality to the presumption quo anterior to February 28”.

Regional diplomacy

Sheikh Mohammed’s sojourn comes 2 days aft Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met his Iranian counterpart, Araghchi, successful Tehran.

Following those talks, Iran’s lawman overseas minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the 2 countries had agreed connected a caller impermanent route for shipping successful the strait.

But helium insisted that the waterway volition not reopen until the US fulfils its commitments nether the June deal, including the lifting of sanctions and the merchandise of frozen assets.

Pakistan’s service chief, Asim Munir, besides visited Tehran earlier successful the week successful a bid to “end the stalemate” successful the conflict, with Islamabad reporting “significant progress” successful those talks.

Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a prof astatine the University of Applied Sciences successful Tehran, said that determination countries were pushing for dialog due to the fact that “they judge that the concern is moving towards escalation”.

“They cognize that if warfare breaks out, it would beryllium a fully-fledged warfare and the occurrence would spill implicit into the full portion and beyond, leaving a detrimental interaction connected the planetary economy,” helium said. “So determination are hectic diplomatic moves connected the portion of these countries.”