DOHA: Qatar on Tuesday said Iran must show good faith with its neighbors to prevent further escalation, following renewed efforts to end the US-Iran war.
The comments came a day after senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting.
Qatari foreign ministry official Ibrahim al-Hashmi said the region needed a new security framework to prevent further violence.
“The ball is now in Iran’s court to commit to these principles and demonstrate good faith,” he said.
“We have heard positive statements from the Iranian side… but they still need to demonstrate good faith, stop threatening countries of the region, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that all those efforts can go towards having a safe and prosperous region,” he added.
Monday’s talks in Tehran included Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Iran described them as “very good.”
They followed warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the eight-month war, which saw Tehran strike US allies in the region including Qatar.
US-Iran mediation efforts have been led by Qatar and Pakistan. A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz during a meeting in Moscow, the emir’s office said on Tuesday.
“They reviewed developments in the regional situation, foremost among them the latest on the negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz, and energy supplies,” a statement said.
