Iran and Qatar can move beyond recent “painful events” and resume bilateral cooperation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, as Qatar pledged to provide all possible assistance to alleviate the hardships facing the Iranian people.
The remarks came during a meeting between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Iranian president in Tehran on Thursday, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Pezeshkian said Iran and Qatar had planned to undertake numerous joint initiatives, but the war delayed the implementation of agreements and the development of bilateral relations.
He accused Israel of seeking to prevent the establishment of close relations among Muslim countries.
“Qatar does not want the Iranian people to face difficulties while the countries of the region merely watch,” Al Thani said.
“We will provide any assistance possible to alleviate the hardships of the brotherly Iranian people,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
“All the legal rights of the Iranian people must be recognised,” Pezeshkian said.
“Iran demands nothing beyond its legal rights and will not surrender to pressure or bullying,” he added.
‘Sincere respect’
Al Thani said Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani regards Pezeshkian “as a brother" and that “deep and sincere respect” remains between the two countries despite recent events.
He said Doha is seeking to restore stability in the region and recognises Iran’s outreach to regional countries and its efforts to promote security and calm.
“We hope that, through the continuation of this approach, the challenges ahead will be resolved,” he added.
Addressing the issue of Iranian pilots claimed to have been captured by Doha, the Qatari premier said the matter would be pursued sincerely.
The visit to Tehran by Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, came as Doha continued efforts to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US.
It is his first trip to Iran since the conflict began with US and Israeli strikes in late February.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June following mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, but its implementation has stalled amid differences over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil supplies flowed before the war.
Iran had targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar that hosts US military forces in June 2025, during the 12-day war with Israel, and also launched retaliatory attacks on several Gulf countries, including Qatar, after US-Israeli attacks this year.
