Qatar Steps Up Mediation Between US and Iran, Calls for Regional Security Framework

Qatar has reaffirmed its efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran, saying a Qatari delegation's visit to Tehran on Sunday was part of ongoing initiatives to ease tensions between the two countries. Doha also called for a regional security framework based on respect for national sovereignty and mutual non-aggression.

Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of the Media and Communications Department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said during a weekly press briefing on Tuesday that proposals continued to be exchanged between Washington and Tehran through mediators.

He urged both sides to resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, according to China's Xinhua News Agency. Al Hashmi also reiterated Qatar's call for a regional security arrangement grounded in respect for national sovereignty and a commitment to non-aggression, a position Doha has previously presented at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday called for the country's rights and those of the regional “resistance front” to be safeguarded as part of any agreement to end the war.

In a statement published on his official website, Khamenei described the prevailing situation as “neither war nor peace” and stressed the need to secure conditions laid down by Iranian officials for ending the conflict.

Iran had conveyed a new proposal to the United States through mediators on September 22, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Under the proposal, Tehran offered to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, provided Washington accepted its conditions.

The diplomatic efforts come amid continuing concerns over regional security and the potential consequences of prolonged tensions between the two countries. Qatar has sought to encourage negotiations while advocating a broader regional arrangement to prevent further escalation.

Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday on the sidelines of the eighth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow.

According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in the energy sector.

Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow on Monday night and was scheduled to meet other participating leaders to discuss bilateral ties and areas of cooperation, according to his office's website.