Iran and Qatar leaders discuss war, Hormuz in Moscow meeting
Qatar's ruler and the Iranian president discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz during a meeting in Moscow, the emir's office said Tuesday.
The high-level meeting came a day after senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met on Tuesday on the sidelines of a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow.
Pezeshkian is also due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.
The Qatari and Iranian leaders "reviewed the current state of relations between Tehran and Doha and emphasized the importance of deepening political and economic ties and making use of existing potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation," Iranian state television said.
Qatar and Pakistan have been at the forefront of efforts to secure a lasting deal between the United States and Iran.
On Sunday, a Qatari delegation visited Tehran and "reviewed developments in the regional situation, foremost among them the latest on the negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz, and energy supplies", Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier.
On Tuesday, 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.
In early October, Putin said Russia was prepared to take part in mediation to bring an end to the war.
Source: Agence France Presse
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