Qatari Emir meets Iranian President; "Dialogue is the solution and the chapter of the Vienna talks"
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, arrived in Iran on Thursday and met and held talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
His trip comes after Reuters previously reported, citing an informed source, that the trip was an attempt by Doha to bridge the gap between Tehran and Washington regarding the revival of the JCPOA nuclear agreement, and that this issue is the main focus of his talks in Tehran.
According to Fars News Agency, the Emir of Qatar said in a meeting with Raisi regarding the Vienna talks: "Qatar has always had a positive view of these talks and we believe that dialogue is the solution and resolution of this issue."
Nuclear talks between world powers and Iran have been stalled since March.
Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States to save the JCPOA have stalled largely because of Tehran's insistence on removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the US list of foreign terrorist organizations. Many US lawmakers oppose removing the IRGC from the list.
Washington has announced that it has no plans to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations.
Iranian state media have tried to portray the Emir of Qatar's visit as evidence of the efforts of Ebrahim Raisi's government to expand relations with regional countries.
Fars also quoted the Emir of Qatar as saying: "There is no other way to resolve disputes in the region than through dialogue."
In a report without mentioning anything about the negotiations to revive the JCPOA, the ISNA news agency quoted Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhbar as saying that Iran is ready to cooperate with Qatar in hosting the World Cup.
Some experts in the United States who monitor Iranian issues have stated that Islamic Republic officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, do not mention the JCPOA negotiations in their important domestic speeches and interviews, and if there is any mention, it is very minimal.
In addition to the Emir of Qatar, the European Union's deputy foreign policy chief and coordinator of the JCPOA revival talks in Vienna also traveled to Tehran for the second time in the new solar year on Wednesday to try to get the negotiations moving.
The halt in JCPOA negotiations and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s stubborn stance to remove the name of the Revolutionary Guard Corps come at a time when Iran has increased its oil exports. Domestically, this increase in exports has been described as one of the capabilities of the Raisi administration. However, international news agencies say that the administration of US President Joe Biden, aware of China’s purchases, has decided not to implement sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies. The US has warned Iran that it will turn to other options if the JCPOA is not revived.
Source: Voice of America
