Qatar’s Foreign Minister In Iran To Follow Up On Nuclear Talks

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian officially welcomed his Qatari counterpart on Wednesday. In a press statement earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanani said that Al Thani, who is also the deputy prime minister, is scheduled to hold meetings with Amir-Abdollahian and other officials.

Noor News, a website close to the Iranian Supreme Council of National Security (SNSC), also said Al Thani will also hold a meeting with SNSC secretary Ali Shamkhani.

According to Kanani, the Qatari diplomat and his Iranian counterpart will also review bilateral ties, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Al Thani and Amir-Abdollahian held a phone call late in June after the Tehran-Washington proximity talks hosted by Doha, which ended without any progress.

Brokered by the European Union, the two-day talks in the Qatari capital last week were aimed at breaking a months-long impasse in negotiations to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but ended without any tangible results.

On Sunday, Al Thani also discussed the latest status of Vienna talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Tuesday evening, Amir-Abdollahian and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held a phone talk that focused on the nuclear agreement, after similar discussions between the Iranian foreign minister and his Omani and French counterparts.

Earlier on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated, “Agreement is possible only based on mutual understanding and interests,” adding that Tehran remains “ready to negotiate a strong and durable agreement.”