Qatar seeks tighter relationship with Iran

Qatar’s top diplomat calls for deeper engagement with Iran in the wake of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, saying there is a need for “serious dialogue” to solve challenges facing the region.

Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah speaks a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council in Qatar to reassure them of America’s commitment to their security in the wake of the deal, which gives Iran broad sanctions relief in exchange for guarantees it won’t build a nuclear bomb.

Al-Attiyah says a “firm agreement between the major players and Iran” is the best way to resolve the issue. And he suggests there is now scope to work with Iran on other issues too.

“We should have a serious dialogue with our neighbor, the Iranians, and … lay down our concerns from both sides, and solve them together. Iran is our neighbor in the region. We have to live together,” he says.

The Gulf states have welcomed the deal despite deep-seated mistrust of Iran, a non-Arab, Shiite power that they see as increasingly assertive through its support for sympathizers and militant groups throughout the region.

— AP