LONDON: The US president, Donald Trump, and the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, discussed efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East amid the conflict between Washington and Tehran, which is now in its six month.
Their telephone conversation on Tuesday focused on how Iranian and US views might be reconciled to enhance the chances of a sustainable diplomatic settlement to the crisis. Both leaders also emphasized the importance of ongoing coordination between their countries in the face of regional and international developments, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported.
The Qatari emir stressed the role of dialogue and diplomacy in efforts to address contentious issues, and urged all parties to adhere to the June 17 memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, which called for a halt to military operations and set a 60-day window to agree a final peace deal.
However, the ceasefire and peace negotiations proved to be short-lived, ending on July 7 when the war resumed. The US has set the reopening to international shipping of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical channel for energy shipments from the Gulf, as a prerequisite for discussions about the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and an Iranian demand for the release of $100 billion of its assets that are frozen in foreign banks.
