Qatari premier says Gulf states have to act together on Iran

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said Gulf states must work together to restore stability in the region and help find a settlement between the US and Iran.

“We are hoping this war is a wake-up call for everyone,” Al-Thani said Sunday in New York City at the Qatar Economic Forum Powered by Bloomberg. “We have to act together responsibly as a region.”

The premier said that messages are being passed between the US and Iran. His country, which like its Gulf neighbours has come under missile attacks from Iran, has been one of the main mediators in the conflict.

Gulf leaders are aiming to meet with President Donald Trump this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly as the US pushes for a resolution to the conflict with Iran that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz for energy exports.

Trump told Fox News Sunday that he would probably be open to meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who is expected to visit New York this week for the UN meeting.

In an interview with Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain, Al-Thani said that Gulf countries need to “step up responsibly to stop their saboteurs, stop their troublemakers.” He said that ending the conflict between the US and Iran will require more peacemakers.

As some Gulf states seek alternative export routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi told the QEF that Qatar has decided not to build gas pipelines, insisting that the strait would never be obsolete.

The Qatari premier was speaking a day after Saudi Arabia issued air-raid alerts for Riyadh, the first in the capital since the height of the US-Iran war in March and April.