Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has met in Doha with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to discuss bilateral ties and regional de-escalation efforts, the Emiri Diwan said.
Discussions on Wednesday covered cooperation between Qatar and Iran and ways to support and strengthen relations, it said in a statement.
The two sides also reviewed developments in the region, efforts to de-escalate and enhance regional security, and other regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Earlier, Qatar's emir and US President Donald Trump discussed efforts to de-escalate the region and maintain stability in a phone call.
The call came ahead of a meeting between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, where the Israeli prime minister is expected to press him to widen US talks with Iran to include curbs on Tehran's missile arsenal.
Larijani’s visit to Qatar is part of a regional tour that included Oman. It comes a day after he held talks with Omani officials following the first round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
According to a statement by Oman’s Foreign Ministry, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik met Larijani in Muscat and discussed the latest developments in the Iran-US negotiations, as well as “pathways to achieve a balanced and equitable agreement for all parties.”
Indirect negotiations
On Friday, indirect negotiations between the US and Iran were held in Muscat amid escalating tensions and a reported US military buildup in the region.
Trump said later that evening that new talks between the two sides would take place “early” next week, without specifying a date.
Tehran accuses the US administration and Israel of fabricating pretexts for military intervention and regime change and has vowed to respond to any attack, even a limited one.
Iranian officials insist that sanctions relief must accompany any agreement to limit the country’s nuclear programme.
Uranium enrichment remains a key point of contention.
Iran demands the lifting of Western economic sanctions in exchange for restricting its nuclear activities.
The US, meanwhile, has called on Iran to fully halt enrichment and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad.
Washington has also sought to expand the scope of talks to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for armed groups in the region, while Tehran has repeatedly said it will negotiate only on its nuclear programme.
