Qatar minister in Iran amid buzz over direct nuclear talks with Washington

Qatar's Foreign Minister is visiting Iran days before Qatar's ruling emir holds talks in Washington at a crucial time for efforts by Tehran and major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran on Thursday, footage by Iran's state news agency IRNA showed.

IRNA said the visit was not intended to facilitate direct talks with Washington.

"Although Doha and Tehran are experiencing good and close relations, this visit ... has fuelled some misconceptions. Some are fabricating it to facilitate direct talks with the United States," IRNA said.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi emphasised the importance of “deepening ties between regional countries” in his meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, who invited the president to attend Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in February in Doha.

Sheikh Mohammed's visit comes after Amirabdollahian said on Monday Tehran is ready to consider direct talks with Washington if it feels it can get a "good nuclear deal".

READ MORE: Top envoys head home for parleys as Iran nuclear talks reach critical stage

Washington dialogue

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will hold talks with US President Joe Biden on January 31 including about the efforts to salvage the nuclear pact. 

Sheikh Mohammed is expected in Washington on Friday in advance of the emir's visit.

The United States and Iran have held eight rounds of indirect talks in Vienna since April aimed at reinstating the pact that lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme.

After then-US President Donald Trump quit the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions, Iran gradually started violating the pact's nuclear curbs.

Significant gaps remain about the speed and scope of returning to the deal, including Iran's demand for a US guarantee of no further punitive steps, and how and when to restore curbs on Iran's atomic work.

Prisoner release

Amirabdollahian previously met Sheikh Tamim and Sheikh Mohammed in Doha on January 11. 

During that visit, he asked Qatar to broker the release of dual-national Iranian-Americans and Iranian-Europeans jailed in Iran, a person with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters this week.

Reuters could not establish if Qatar agreed to the request, but the Gulf Arab state has actively helped release foreign prisoners in other countries in the past.

The lead US nuclear negotiator told Reuters on Sunday that securing the nuclear deal is unlikely unless Tehran releases four US citizens Washington says it is holding hostage.

While ruling out any US preconditions, Iran said on Monday Tehran and Washington can reach "a lasting agreement on both separate paths (the Vienna talks and the prisoner exchange) if the other party has the will".

Iranian officials declined to comment on the matter on Thursday, but Tehran has repeatedly said it is ready for a full prisoner exchange with Washington.

Tehran denies holding people for political reasons. It has accused many of the dual-nationals and foreigners in its jails of espionage. Tehran says Iranians detained in the US, mostly for breaking sanctions, are being unjustly held.

READ MORE: Iran claims West realises it needs to ‘back down’ on nuclear deal demands