Trump and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed Qatar’s efforts to bridge differences between the sides and secure a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict, the emir’s office said on Friday.
Sheikh Tamim stressed the importance of dialogue in resolving disputes, as well as the need to ensure freedom of maritime navigation and the security of energy supplies – a reference to restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar is acting as the chief mediator between Washington and Tehran amid intense diplomatic efforts to end the war, which is now in its ninth month. Qatari officials have been shuttling between Doha and the Iranian capital to firm up a potential deal ahead of Tuesday’s US midterm elections, in which the Democrats secured a sweeping victory over Trump’s Republican Party and took control of Congress.
In the aftermath of the vote, Trump said he had no immediate plans to launch strikes on Iran, sending oil prices lower. Brent crude has fallen below $100 a barrel for the first time since September, as investors bet that the Democratic victory would reduce the likelihood of a return to all-out fighting – an escalation Trump had repeatedly threatened before the vote.
In other diplomatic moves, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed “efforts aimed at establishing stability in the region” in separate phone calls with his Saudi and Qatari counterparts on Thursday, according to a statement on his official Telegram channel. He also spoke with his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kuwait, Cyprus and Jordan.
