Qatar's Emir and Larijani Discuss Regional Developments and De-escalation Efforts

SadaNews - On Wednesday, Qatar's Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met with Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, in the capital Doha. They discussed the developments in the region and de-escalation efforts amidst ongoing tensions and negotiations with the United States.

The two sides also discussed the cooperative relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, in addition to several regional and international issues of mutual interest.

From the Qatari side, the meeting included Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Khalifi, and several senior officials; from the Iranian side, Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri, Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqer, and several senior officials participated.

This comes just hours after a conversation between Qatar's Emir and U.S. President Donald Trump, and after Washington and Tehran held an indirect round of negotiations last Friday in Oman, amidst a U.S. military buildup in the region threatening Iran.

The call addressed international efforts to de-escalate tensions and enhance regional security, where they emphasized the importance of continuing coordination and supporting diplomatic efforts to address existing crises.

In a related context, Iranian Supreme Leader's advisor, Ali Shamkhani, stated that his country's missile capabilities are a red line and are not up for negotiation, at a time when Tehran and Washington are preparing for a new round of negotiations to avoid sliding into conflict.

Washington has long sought to expand the discussions related to Iran's nuclear capabilities to include its missile program as well. Iran has stated that it is ready to discuss imposing restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, but has repeatedly rejected linking the nuclear issue with other files, including missiles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to leverage his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday evening to push for any potential U.S.-Iranian agreement to include restrictions on Tehran's missiles.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that Tehran's missile program has never been part of the agenda of the talks.