Qatar urges deal on Iran nuclear standoff, warns against military action

Qatar’s prime minister called for a diplomatic resolution between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program and argued against military action in an interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson on Friday.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani ruled out support for any military action against Iran even as US President Trump warned that Washington's standoff with Tehran on the issue was in its "final moments" on Friday after warning the country to make a deal or face military action.

“There is no way that Qatar would support any kind of military step in that region,” the senior Qatari royal said. “And we will not give up until we see a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran. This needs to reach an agreement.”

Qatar, a small gas-rich Arab emirate across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is a key go-between mediating many of the regions conflicts.

Doha and its Arab neighbors have been wary of previous US military actions in the region and are keen to avoid disruptions to the key shipping waterway for their vast energy resources.

The senior Qatari royal raised concerns over the lack of clear international oversight on Iran’s nuclear activities. “There is no clear standard for managing those nuclear facilities,” he said. “And those clear standards [are] ensuring that this is a nuclear power plant that will be used for peaceful use.”

Al Thani underscored Qatar’s continuous engagement with Iran on the issue. “We are speaking with the Iranians all the time that we need to work together. We need to work with the IAEA in order to ensure that those standards are followed.”

The prime minister also dismissed reports that Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. “There are a lot of news and headlines we see that Iran is close to a nuclear weapon. This is nothing we have ever heard, we have ever seen, or experienced,” he said.

“Even our engagement with the leaders there, even with the Supreme Leader, he said very clearly that he has issued a fatwa or a declaration that Iran will never go for a nuclear bomb,” he added.