Qatar’s emir meets Iran’s president in Moscow as regional diplomacy continues
Iranian state media said the leaders discussed bilateral ties and energy cooperation at a gas forum, while Qatar pursued separate efforts to ease the regional war.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow on October 27, on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iranian state media. Their reported discussion of bilateral and energy ties came as Qatar pursued efforts to mediate an end to the regional war.
Iranian state television said the leaders reviewed relations between Tehran and Doha and emphasised expanding political and economic cooperation. They also discussed greater cooperation in the energy sector, according to the Iranian account reported by Al Jazeera.
Qatar’s mediation alongside the Moscow meeting
The meeting took place at the eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit. Qatar has been taking part in mediation efforts over the nearly eight-month-old US-Israel war on Iran. Iran has carried out missile and drone strikes against targets across the region, including in Qatar, Al Jazeera reported.
At a weekly briefing on October 27, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman urged Iran to stop threatening Gulf states so diplomacy could help reduce tensions. He said a Qatari delegation had visited Tehran to support mediation and help pave the way for a resolution with the United States, according to Al Jazeera. The account of the Moscow meeting did not mention a discussion of the war.
Separate talks in Tehran seek to ease the conflict
Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan visited Tehran on October 26 hoping to de-escalate the conflict, Reuters reported. Their talks with Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei were the first high-level contact between Iran and the three countries since the war began. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August.
Rezaei met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei the next day. Iranian state media said they discussed regional security, maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and strengthening ties with neighbouring countries, according to Reuters. State media also said Khamenei stressed maintaining Iran’s conditions for ending the war.
An Iranian official told Reuters that Iran’s nuclear programme would not be discussed in the talks with the Mecca pact countries until Tehran’s demands for ending the war were met. Those demands include ending a US blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
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Sources and context
- Qatar’s Emir meets Iran’s Pezeshkian in MoscowAl Jazeera; article credited to Al Jazeera Staff and AFP
- Iran security chief meets Supreme Leader after talks with Mecca pact countriesReuters, republished by AL-MONITOR
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.