Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Qatar Warns Escalation Left Unchecked Could Spiral Into Regional War Beyond Borders
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Iran-US talks are ongoing as regional tensions rise, with warnings of broader war. Qatar urges negotiated settlement, saying peaceful talks are the only path to regional stability.
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Qatar backs talks
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said negotiations between Iran and the US remain ongoing as regional tensions deepen, and he warned, "Escalation left unchecked will mean that we are spiraling towards a regional war that will expand beyond the borders of our region."
Al-Ansari told the Global Security Forum in Doha that "The negotiation is ongoing. We are seeing engagement from the parties," while he said discussions were continuing with regional partners.
Qatar’s Director of Public Relations and Communications Ibrahim Al Hashmi said during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs weekly media briefing that "The peaceful solution at the negotiating table is the only solution that preserves the security and stability of the region."
Al Hashmi urged Tehran to respect international laws governing freedom of navigation and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling attacks in the strait irresponsible and harmful to the region.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran would not leave any attack unanswered and declared it would pursue national interests through diplomacy or defence, warning that any aggression would be met with a reciprocal response or measures of greater intensity.
Munir in Tehran
Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with senior Iranian officials as Islamabad sought to mediate between Washington and Tehran amid renewed fears of regional escalation. Munir met first with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and he was also expected to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to the account of his itinerary. Mohsen Rezaei told Munir that "all enriched nuclear materials will stay inside Iran," and Rezaei added, "There will be no negotiations unless Washington takes steps and implements our conditions."
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said, "There is nothing new to say to Washington, and it cannot gain Iran’s trust except by implementing our seven conditions," in reference to Tehran’s plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Sedaye Iran praised Pakistan’s relations with Iran and Oman’s role in mediation, but the daily claimed there were "serious and profound doubts" about mediators’ effectiveness because "the United States is not seeking an agreement."
Strait tensions and threats
The Strait of Hormuz saw further escalation as two oil tankers caught fire after colliding with mines that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said its forces had planted earlier.
Iranian threats said the ships that violate would face nothing other than "blaze," while the incident was described as part of rising tensions and widening risks of confrontation in a vital energy artery.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it destroyed another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone and attacked two more tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing fires on the unnamed ships.
Iran’s IRGC spokesman Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi threatened to target undersea communication cables in the Strait of Hormuz if US attacks disrupt Iran’s regional security, according to Muslim Mirror.
Qatar’s Ibrahim Al Hashmi warned that continued escalation could have far-reaching consequences for regional countries and their populations, and he said "Every time we move faster towards a solution, the better it is."