Meeting of Qatari Emir and Iranian President; ‘Dialogue is the Solution to Vienna Negotiations’
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, arrived in Iran on Thursday and met with Ibrahim Raisi, President of Iran.
His visit comes as Reuters previously reported, citing an informed source, that this trip is an effort by Doha to bridge the gap between Tehran and Washington regarding the revival of the JCPOA nuclear agreement, and this is the main focus of his talks in Tehran.
According to Farsnews Agency, the Emir of Qatar said during his meeting with Raisi regarding Vienna negotiations: “Qatar has always had a positive outlook toward these talks and we believe that dialogue is the solution to resolving this issue.”
Nuclear negotiations between world powers and Iran have been halted since March.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States to save the JCPOA have reached a deadlock, primarily due to Tehran’s insistence on removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the United States’ list of foreign terrorist organizations. Many American lawmakers oppose deleting the IRGC from the terrorist list.
Washington has stated that it has no plan to remove the IRGC from its list of terrorist organizations.
Iranian state media have attempted to portray the Qatari Emir’s visit as evidence of the Ibrahim Raisi government’s efforts to expand relations with regional countries.
Farsnews also quoted the Emir of Qatar as saying: “There is no way to resolve differences in the region except through dialogue.”
ISNA News Agency in a report without reference to the revival of the JCPOA agreement quoted Mohammad Mokhber, Vice President of Iran, as saying that Iran is ready to cooperate with Qatar in hosting the FIFA World Cup.
Some Iran-monitoring experts in the United States have noted that Islamic Republic officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, do not mention the JCPOA in their important domestic speeches and interviews, or if they do, it is very minimal.
Besides the Emir of Qatar, the European Union’s deputy responsible for foreign policy and coordinator of JCPOA revival talks in Vienna also traveled to Tehran on Wednesday for the second time in the new solar year to make efforts to get negotiations moving.
The halt in JCPOA negotiations and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s hardline stance on removing the IRGC from the list comes as Iran has increased its oil exports. Within the country, this increase in exports has been attributed to the capabilities of the Raisi government. However, international news agencies say that the Joe Biden administration, President of the United States, with knowledge of Chinese purchases, has decided not to enforce sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies. The United States has warned Iran that if the JCPOA is not revived, it will pursue other options.
Source: Voice of America
