Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visits Tehran on Thursday in a fresh diplomatic effort as the United States and Iran remained divided over sanctions and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar, an Iran neighbour and US ally, has served as a back-channel mediator between the sides and played a role in securing the June ceasefire. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Al Thani’s talks with Iranian officials focused on ways to “de-escalate tensions and create the conditions conducive to dialogue.” Doha also pushed for freedom of navigation through Hormuz and a return to the pre-war situation before February 28. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Qatar’s mediation efforts and wider regional developments were also on the agenda.
The visit came as the conflict approached its sixth month. Tehran had recently hosted Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi. Munir’s visit coincided with Washington’s announcement of its “Economic D-Day” sanctions campaign.
US President Donald Trump had said economic and military measures against Iran “are effective” and that he was “not in a hurry” to reach an agreement. US Central Command had reported no attacks on Iran for nearly a month, while Washington increased pressure on Iran’s aviation, shipping, technology, gold and digital-asset sectors. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had promised the “toughest sanctions in history.”
The Strait of Hormuz remained at the centre of tensions. Before the war began on February 28, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the waterway. Oil flows had since dropped from around 20 million barrels per day to just 5 million. Brent crude traded near $86 per barrel and WTI around $80.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tehran and Oman had reached acceptable terms on sharing the waterway and its revenues. IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said progress had been made, although a senior Iranian source told Reuters that a final agreement had not yet been reached. Oman’s Badr Al-Busaidi had expressed hope that a temporary Hormuz corridor could be established. Mohebbi said Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington met Tehran’s conditions, including sanctions removal, compensation and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that an unidentified projectile struck a tanker in the strait, causing a fire that was later extinguished. The International Maritime Organisation had recorded 70 Hormuz incidents since February 28, killing 19 seafarers, highlighting the stakes surrounding Qatar’s renewed diplomatic push.
