Qatar restores full diplomatic relations with Iran amid crisis
doha — Qatar restored full diplomatic relations with Iran early on Thursday, disregarding the demands of Arab nations now locked in a regional dispute with the energy-rich country that it lessen its ties to Tehran.
In announcing its decision, Qatar did not mention the diplomatic crisis roiling Gulf Arab nations since June, when Qatar found its land, sea and air routes cut off by its neighbours over Doha’s policies across the Mideast.
“Qatar has shown it is going to go in a different direction,” said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University who lives in Seattle. “It could very well be calculated towards reinforcing the point that Qatar will not bow to this regional pressure placed upon it.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced
the state of Qatar expressed its aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with the islamic republic of iran in all fields Qatari Foreign Ministry
early on Thursday that the country’s ambassador would return to Tehran. Qatar pulled its ambassador in early 2016 after Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shia cleric sparked attacks on two Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran, a move to show solidarity with the kingdom.
“The state of Qatar expressed its aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields,” a short Foreign Ministry statement said.
Iranian state media acknowledged the development, without elaborating. Despite recalling its ambassador in 2016, Iran and Qatar maintained their ties.
Since the diplomatic dispute with Arab nations began in June, Iran has sent food shipments to Qatar.
On Wednesday, the Central African nation of Chad announced it would close its embassy in Doha, accusing Qatar of trying to destabilise it from neighboring Libya.
The diplomatic crisis began June 5, when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut ties to Qatar over allegations including it funding extremists and being too close to Iran.
The boycotting countries later issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar, including that Doha shut its diplomatic posts in Iran. Qatar ignored the demands and let a deadline to comply pass, creating an apparent stalemate in the crisis. Attempts by Kuwait, the US and others have failed to make headway. — AP