Qatari Prime Minister to visit Tehran for talks on de-escalation and Strait of Hormuz

DOHA, Aug 27: Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will visit Tehran on Thursday for talks with Iranian officials aimed at easing regional tensions and creating conditions for renewed dialogue.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said Sheikh Mohammed will meet with a number of Iranian officials to discuss ways to de-escalate tensions. The talks will also address freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to restore the strategic waterway to the status quo that existed before February 28.

The visit will be Sheikh Mohammed’s first trip to Iran since the conflict between Washington and Tehran began following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Qatar has been involved, alongside Pakistan, in mediation efforts between the two sides.

The United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in June following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, but implementation of the agreement stalled amid disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz. The situation has since remained tense, with renewed US military attacks on Iran last month followed by Iranian strikes on US military assets in Arab states allied with Washington.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Tehran visit comes amid continuing diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and address the dispute over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.