Doha Seeking to Bring Views of Tehran, Washington Closer Together: Qatari FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Tuesday that his country is using its open channels with Washington and Tehran to bring their viewpoints closer together.
He made his remark after making separate visits to the Iranian capital of Tehran and Washington last week to discuss bilateral ties with the countries and press regional issues.
He held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran on Thursday just days before accompanying the ruling emir's diplomatic visit to Washington.
Amirabdollahian and Al Thani exchanged views on regional issues and the need to promote diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the issues regarding efforts to establish peace and stability in Yemen and Afghanistan.
Al-Thani also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during which they emphasized the importance of regional cooperation, and deepening relations and further synergy between neighboring countries can provide security.
The Qatari foreign minister's remarks come as efforts are underway by Tehran and major powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran and the remaining participants to the JCPOA have been holding talks in Vienna since April last year with the aim of reviving the deal by bringing the US into full compliance.
The US left the JCPOA in May 2018 under former president Donald Trump. The Vienna talks began on a promise by Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, to rejoin the deal and repeal the so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Biden, however, has so far failed to undo Trump’s own undoing of Barack Obama’s Iran policy, which led to the JCPOA in June 2015.
The eighth round of the Vienna talks began on December 27 with a focus on the removal of all sanctions that the United States had imposed on Iran after its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. The US is not allowed to directly attend the talks due to its pullout in 2018 from the deal with Iran.