Economic affairs and Palestinian issue on the agenda, Iranian Foreign Minister says
The National
February 19, 2025
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim arrived in Iran on Wednesday for a visit aimed at boosting relations between the two countries, Iranian media reported.
Sheikh Tamim was welcomed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian before their delegations sat down for talks.
The emir’s visit comes amid a flurry of heightened diplomatic activity in the Middle East to address issues such as the post-war administration and rebuilding of Gaza, the rehabilitation of Syria after the overthrow of the Assad regime, and ending the war in Ukraine.
“The emir of Qatar is a prominent figure and will be visiting for the advancement of bilateral relations,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.
Mr Araghchi dismissed speculation that Sheikh Tamim might relay a message from the US, Tasnim reported, and said Tehran and Doha were “engaged in important and key consultations about economic affairs” that would be discussed during the emir’s visit.
He said the two countries were in touch over regional developments, “specifically the issue of Palestine”.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, helped to mediate a halt to the war between Israel and Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Attention has turned to a permanent end to the war and Gaza’s future after a ceasefire went into effect on January 19.
Representatives of the six Arab Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan are meeting in Cairo this week to discuss the issue, which took a controversial turn after President Donald Trump proposed that the US take over and develop the Palestinian enclave while neighbouring countries took in Gaza’s population of more than two million people.
The war has reordered the region’s politics and power balance, with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Iran itself weakening Tehran’s regional armed proxies and contributing to the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, an Iranian ally.
Iran also faces the prospect of increased US sanctions as Mr Trump seeks to return to his campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran after taking office for a second term in January.
Sheikh Tamim visited Tehran in March last year, while Mr Pezeshkian travelled to Doha in October, months after his election.
Updated: February 19, 2025, 12:45 PM