On Thursday, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, held a series of phone calls with the foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and Turkey. The key focus was the escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran, as well as finding ways to reduce the conflict. Qatar stressed the need to stick to dialogue and diplomacy as the only way to overcome the crisis and strengthen regional stability.
During the talks, including with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, developments amid the military standoff were discussed. Sheikh Muhammad strongly condemned attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, saying such actions are unacceptable even in the context of attempts to lower tensions. He urged all sides to honor previously reached understandings and memoranda to ensure security and stability in the region.
Against this backdrop, on Wednesday US President Donald Trump said that the ceasefire regime reached with Iran on June 17 had effectively lapsed. He promised to deliver “powerful strikes” after Washington accused Tehran of firing on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Mutual threats and a show of military force followed from both sides.
Already on Thursday, the United States carried out a second wave of strikes on Iranian targets, hitting, according to the US Central Command, about 90 military sites. In response, Tehran said it launched missile attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. The conflict is increasingly spreading across the region, threatening sea routes and infrastructure. Qatar, for its part, continues diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the sides back to negotiations and preventing the crisis from further spiraling.
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What exactly were the terms of the June 17 ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, and why, according to Trump, did it stop being in effect? — The agreement, brokered by Oman in 2023, provided for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment up to 60% and for it to refrain from further provocations in the region in exchange for the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian assets in South Korea for humanitarian purchases. Trump, speaking about it as a presidential candidate, said the deal “stopped being in effect” after Iran, in his view, violated the spirit of the agreement by increasing missile launches and supporting proxy forces (for example, Yemen’s Houthis) during the conflict in Gaza. However, officially the agreement was informal and was not terminated — rather, it “faded” amid mutual accusations.
What role does Abbas Araghchi play in Iran’s nuclear diplomacy, and why is his participation in talks with Qatar significant for understanding Tehran’s position? — Abbas Araghchi is Iran’s deputy foreign minister and the chief negotiator on the nuclear program, who previously took part in concluding the JCPOA (2015). His key role is maintaining a diplomatic channel with Western countries through intermediaries such as Qatar, while keeping a hard line on uranium enrichment. His participation in talks with Doha is significant because Qatar serves as a neutral platform for probing the positions of the US and Europe, especially amid heightened tensions after Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA (2018). Araghchi confirms that Tehran is not backing away from dialogue, but requires sanctions relief as a preliminary condition, reflecting a “maximum pressure, reversed” strategy.
Full version: Qatar’s international contacts to lower tensions between Washington and Tehran