‘The region is calling for a security arrangement’: Qatar pushes diplomacy as Iran-U.S. talks progress

Qatar PM-FM says Doha is pushing to bring diplomacy back on track, as tensions over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz renew questions over the Gulf’s security framework.Qatar has called for a regional security arrangement that addresses the concerns of both Iran and its Gulf neighbours as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani revealed “positive progress” in recent indirect talks between Tehran and Washington. Speaking to CNN’s Christaine Amanpour in New York last week, following the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar had spent recent weeks trying to revive the diplomatic track between Washington and Tehran. “Yesterday we had the indirect talks between the two parties [U.S. and Iran], and I believe there were some positive progress in these talks,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the interview, which was broadcast on Saturday.“We believe that we have sensed that from both parties, that they want to see some positive progress. We have also noticed that in the exchange[..]that diplomacy can prevail at the end and we can find a solution,” he added, while cautioning against publicly disclosing details of the negotiations before they mature. The Prime Minister said Doha remained hopeful that diplomacy could ultimately prevail, reiterating Qatar’s position that conflict cannot produce a lasting military solution. “We have walked every avenue between the U.S. and Iran in order to find a diplomatic solution between them,” Qatar’s PM-FM said.“There will never be a military victory.”The remarks came at the end of a week of diplomacy in New York in which Qatar repeatedly pushed for de-escalation, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a broader regional security framework that addresses the concerns of both Iran and its Gulf neighbours. A call for a new regional security arrangement Among Sheikh Mohammed’s clearest messages in the interview was that the current crisis had exposed the need to rethink security across the region. “We need to make sure that we do not represent any concern for the Iranians, nor the Iranians represent a concern for us,” he said. “We are neighbours; This is a destiny.”The Prime Minister said decades of relations between Qatar and Iran, coupled with the scale of the current regional instability, showed the need for an arrangement in which countries on both sides of the Gulf feel secure. “The region is calling for a security arrangement that ensures that every country in that region is feeling safe and every people in that region feeling safe and secure,” he said. The remarks closely followed the message delivered by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani from the UNGA podium four days earlier. Addressing world leaders on 22 September, Sheikh Tamim had said that the current crisis exposed the absence of a regional system of collective security, one based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Amir added that Qatar had previously called for such a framework and argued that recent events had demonstrated its urgency, while also calling for a return to negotiations and a lasting settlement that ensures security and stability across the region, including Iran.Diplomacy beyond the UNGA stageQatar’s message at the UNGA was accompanied by a series of diplomatic meetings in New York. On the sidelines of the UNGA, on September 22, Sheikh Mohammed met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with the two discussing regional developments, de-escalation efforts and ways to create conditions for dialogue. Three days later, Sheikh Mohammed met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with talks again focusing on reducing tensions and creating an environment for dialogue to strengthen regional security and stability. On Saturday, Iranian FM Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations that Tehran had conveyed a “concrete seven-day plan” to Washington through Doha, under which the Strait of Hormuz could reopen and normal maritime passage resume within seven days if the U.S. accepted the proposal. Aragchi said the timeline would begin once Washington accepted the plan, with U.S. steps expected during the first four to five days, the Strait reopening on day six and talks between Iran and the U.S. beginning on day seven. Qatar has also been working alongside regional partners, including Pakistan and Oman to de-escalate between Iran and the U.S., safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait and prompt regional stability, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The diplomatic push reflects a wider foreign policy approach that has seen Doha maintain channels with competing actors while positioning mediation and dialogue at the centre of its response to regional crises. Hormuz places Qatar at the centre of the crisisSheikh Mohammed told CNN that pressure surrounding the waterway was not being felt by Iran alone, with Qatar feeling the impact. The whole region is under the same pressure as Iran,” he said. “There’s a blockade that is imposed on us as Gulf countries. My country, especially, we cannot get ships out. It’s very difficult, very challenging. You have seen that the Strait [of Hormuz] has been insecure, and this is unacceptable.” Sheikh Tamim took to the UNGA stage, describing Hormuz as an international waterway through which nearly a quarter of global economic lifelines flow, and as an instrument of pressure and bargaining. For Qatar, the issues also cut directly into its economic model as a major global LNG exporter and into the wider Gulf model Sheikh Mohammed described as built around prosperity, connectivity and international partnerships. Where does U.S. partnership fit? The crisis has also renewed attention on Qatar’s longstanding defence relationship with the United States and the presence of U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base. Sheikh Mohammed said the country’s defence doctrine had always begun with developing its own capabilities. Rather than reconsidering the current partnership with the U.S., which he described as one of the most valuable relationships, he said the current circumstances had prompted discussions about how it could be strengthened. “And our armed forces has demonstrated their capabilities throughout that war. It doesn’t mean that our partnership with the U.S. is not valuable for us. It is one of the most, or even it is the most valuable defense partnership that we have,” Qatar PM-FM said. “What is happening right now is an outstanding circumstances that all of us, we are looking at it, we are thinking about how can we improve and can have a stronger partnership in the future that can making sure that this bond is solidified.”Mediation beyond Iran The CNN interview also turned to Gaza, where Qatar continues to play a mediation role.Sheikh Mohammed pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to fulfil commitments under the ceasefire agreement and described Netanyahu as the “biggest obstacle” to advancing the peace plan. He also rejected allegations that Qatari funding provided to Gaza had reached Hamas’s military wing, saying funds entered with Israeli and UN coordination and were directed towards fuel for Gaza’s power plants, support for families living below the poverty line and salaries for approved civil government employees.