Qatar

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are in the process of resuming diplomatic relations and reopening missions, two officials said. This follows weeks after the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism since winning the bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the Persian Gulf state's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has revealed.

US President Joe Biden and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, will discuss a range of issues including Iran and energy security in the aftermath of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, US officials say.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has arrived in Doha on the third stop of his tour of the Persian Gulf states, the first visit since a years-long blockade of Qatar was withdrawn in January.

Doha has voiced its frustration with Washington over the lack of response to a request for the purchase of advanced drones from the United States.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has urged the (Persian) Gulf Corporation Council ,(P)GCC, to engage with Tehran. The top diplomat says Qatar considers Iran “part of our region”.

Qatari voters have chosen none of the 26 women in the first legislative elections in the Persian Gulf Arab state on Saturday.

Last week, Iranian netizens were shocked to see Qatari officials awarding a scale model of windcatchers to Paris Saint-Germain staff who had won a traditional camel race in the peninsular nation.

The United Arab Emirate has, in a politically-motivated move, prevented Qatari Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Saud al-Muhannadi from taking part in the AFC Asian Cup tournament, which is to start on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia is sacrificing a portion of its territory and spending nearly $750 million to dig a 60-kilometre canal that will turn Qatar into an island.

A senior Qatari official has lashed out at third parties who seek to drag the region into a war against Iran, saying his country will not be part of any conflict with the Islamic Republic.

The Qatari government has banned its citizens from buying or selling goods made in a Saudi-led group of countries that maintain a blockade on the country, in a move that further shatters hopes for the settlement of the political crisis.

The Arab countries that imposed a blockade on Qatar have asked Doha to give up its right to host the football world cup in 2022 in exchange for lifting of the siege, a Qatari official claimed.

Saudi and Emirati officials say their football teams in the AFC Champions League will neither play in Iran, nor in Qatar.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister says Lebanon is just the latest target in a Saudi campaign of intimidation that risks destabilising the Middle East.

Washington’s lukewarm mediation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has failed to settle the crisis between the two sides.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with Qatar’s ambassador underlined Tehran’s opposition to any pressure on its neighbours by any party.

Saudi Arabia has suspended any plan for holding dialogue with Qatar shortly after a phone call between the leaders of both countries suggested a breakthrough in the Persian Gulf dispute.

A senior political analyst has highlighted Iran’s geopolitical significance for Qatar, saying Tehran is more useful to Doha than any other regional state.

A political commentator says Saudi Arabia has failed to intimidate Qatar into severing its newly-shaped relations with Iran, and has no more cards to play to keep Doha from edging closer to Tehran.

A political commentator says Qatar’s decision to return its ambassador to Tehran amounts to Doha’s admission of the mistake it had made in dealing with Iran last year.

The United Arabic Emirates has once again criticized Qatar for deciding to restore full diplomatic ties with Iran by deciding to send its ambassador back to Tehran.

Qatar is going to send its ambassador back to Iran to resume his diplomatic activities more than 20 months after he was recalled.

As diplomatic row continues to rage on between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, some media reports on a number of secret meetings between the two sides’ officials have sparked mixed reactions, particularly in Qatari circles.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani says the country is concerned about the safety of its citizens in Saudi Arabia following the reopening of the countries’ border enabling Qataris to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.