The US has turned to Qatar to mediate between Iran and Israel, despite one of the parties firing missiles at the tiny but staggeringly rich nation
Middle East crisis – live updates
Caught in the crossfire, Qatar on Monday night found itself in the unusual position of being asked by the US to mediate to end a war where one of the two parties was firing missiles at it. But then there are few countries as multifaceted as Qatar, or few conflicts quite as tangled as the Iran-Israeli war.
It seems Monday’s heavily signalled Iranian attack on Qatar’s 60-acre Al Udeid airbase, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, may even have become the opening to resume diplomacy. The attack, which caused no casualties, cleared the ground for Trump and Qatar to work together to secure the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. It once again highlights Qatar’s role as professional mediator – a bespoke service this tiny but massively wealthy country makes available from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Gaza.
Ever since Israel launched its attack on Iran 12 days ago, Qatar has been at the forefront of the countries denouncing it, saying it considered the assault “a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, as well as a clear breach of international law”.
