Qatar emir meets Iran foreign minister during Doha visit

Qatar emir meets Iran foreign minister during Doha visit
Iran is in the midst of crunch nuclear talks with world powers.
2 min read
11 January, 2022
Qatar's emir met Iran's foreign minister who is visiting the Gulf state [Getty]

Qatar's Emir Tamim Al-Thani met Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday, during a visit by Tehran's top diplomat to the Gulf state. 

"HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met at Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Majlis at the Amiri Diwan on Tuesday morning with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to the country," Qatar News Agency reported.

"During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, in addition to exchanging views on the most prominent regional and international issues, especially the developments in the region."

Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi hosted the Iran foreign minister in Muscat on Monday, amid crunch talks between Tehran and world powers on Iran's nuclear programme.

The two ministers "reviewed relations of cooperation", according to Oman News Agency.

The foreign ministers also discussed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action  (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal.

"The two sides reviewed some regional and international issues of common interest," Oman's state news agency wrote.

"They also touched on Vienna talks regarding the nuclear agreement 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)', emphasising the importance of the Plan to achieve security and stability."

World powers are trying to revive the nuclear deal which the US pulled out of under former President Donald Trump in 2018, imposing heavy sanctions on Tehran.

Iran responded by breaking several of the deal's stipulations.

There are signs that the world powers - the US, UK, China, Russia, France, Germany, and the EU - and Iran could be on the verge of bringing the deal back to life, which would see restrictions on Tehran's nuclear programme brought back into place in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signalled a softening of his tone earlier this week when he said negotiations with "the enemy" were permissible.

US President Joe Biden has made the nuclear talks a foreign policy priority despite opposition from some of Washington's regional allies.