Qatar’s Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani traveled to Tehran as Doha continued its diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the United States.
Sheikh Mohammed met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Iranian capital on Thursday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also released footage of the meeting.
The Strait of Hormuz and dialogue
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid Al Ansari said before the visit that Sheikh Mohammed would discuss with Iranian officials ways to reduce tensions and create suitable conditions for dialogue.
According to Al Ansari, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz would also be discussed. The talks were planned to assess the need to restore the waterway to the situation that existed before February 28.
First visit since the conflict
The visit to Tehran was Sheikh Mohammed’s first trip to Iran as Qatar’s foreign minister since the conflict between Washington and Tehran began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar. However, disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz brought implementation of the memorandum to a halt.
The United States resumed its military attacks on Iran last month, while Tehran struck U.S. military assets located in Arab countries aligned with Washington.