Qatar says officials working daily to revive US-Iran talks, urges Tehran to reopen Hormuz

Qatar and Pakistan are continuing efforts to revive negotiations between the US and Iran, with officials speaking to the parties daily to explore possible ways forward, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. Al-Ansari did not provide details of the proposals being discussed but said Qatar remained focused on reaching a diplomatic solution to the ongoing war between the two sides. Qatar and Pakistan have acted as the two main mediators between the US and Iran since the outbreak of the war in late February.

Al-Ansari's comments came after Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran for talks with senior Iranian officials as part of efforts to reduce regional tensions and revive negotiations. The visit coincided with an expansion of US sanctions against Iran, which Washington has dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast". Tehran has vowed to resist the measures, while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the talks in the Iranian capital had made “significant progress”.

Asked whether the new sanctions could support efforts to resolve the war, Al-Ansari said they were unilateral rather than UN or multilateral measures and that questions about their purpose should be directed to the countries imposing them. Al-Ansari also rejected the possibility of Qatar pursuing a separate agreement with Iran to secure passage for its energy exports through Hormuz. It cannot be addressed bilaterally with Iran,” he said.

This needs to end immediately.” He said Doha wanted freedom of navigation restored to the conditions that existed before the war began. The strait is a vital route for global energy supplies and is particularly important to Qatar, one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas. Disruption to shipping through the waterway has delayed energy deliveries and raised concerns about global supplies.

Al-Ansari said other countries were entitled to negotiate their own arrangements with Iran but maintained that Qatar favoured regional talks over separate safe-passage agreements.