Qatar’s Emir will visit Iran soon, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed on Monday during a news conference.
“The visit of the Emir of Qatar to Tehran is on the agenda and includes bilateral, regional and international issues. After this trip, Iran’s President will travel to a Gulf country,” Khatibzadeh said.
Citing a source, Reuters reported on Sunday that Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Iran before travelling to Germany, Britain and other European states to discuss efforts to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal and energy security in Europe.
#Qatar, which U.S. was investigating for funding #Iran's IRGC & recently hosted sanctioned IRGC commanders at a defense expo, is trying to create a "new middle ground" in nuclear talks. But over 62 U.S. Senators want the IRGC designation maintained.https://t.co/MA2f6Sy03P
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) May 8, 2022
Most Qatari volumes are locked into long-term contracts and Qatar’s energy minister has said that no single country has the capacity to replace Russian gas supplies to Europe with liquefied natural gas in the event of disruption.
The source said the emir’s trip also aimed to bring the parties to the Iran nuclear pact to “a new middle ground”.
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The source added the Emir’s trip aimed at bringing parties to the Iran nuclear pact to a “new middle ground.” This follows an impasse in indirect Iran-U.S. talks over Tehran’s insistence that Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its elite security force, from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list.
Under the pact, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in return for relief from sanctions. Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed U.S. sanctions. Tehran retaliated by gradually violating the agreement’s nuclear curbs.
Qatar’s Emir last visited Iran in January 2020 to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington following the killing of top Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani by the United States whilst on a visit to Iraq.
Read more: Qatar FM urges Gulf countries to begin talks with Iran
Iranian state media also reported the Emir’s trip was meant to follow up on several bilateral memoranda of understanding signed during Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Doha in February.
Reuters with additional input by GVS News Desk