Iranian team of experts in Qatar proves Doha’s ties with militias

dubai — Qatar on Sunday received an Iranian delegation comprising 70 experts and businessmen from both government and private sectors of Iran, it was reported.

The news comes after US security investigations found that Doha had established links with a number of Iran-sponsored militias in the Middles East, many of them regarded by Washington as terrorist organisations.

The Iranian delegation, led by Mohammad Reza Fayyaz, Deputy head of International Affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, was visiting Doha to take part in a two-day meeting.

Qatar has been blamed by Washington for funding terror outfits with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Washington recently pulled out of Iran nuclear deal and imposed economic sanctions on Tehran.

UK daily The Telegraph reported that US President Donald Trump called on Qatar to stop funding proIranian militias after the Gulf state’s dealings with terror groups in the Middle East was uncovered.

US security officials have expressed concern over Qatar’s links with such militias.

It follows the detection of a number of emails said to be sent by senior officials in the Qatari government to leading members of groups such as Hezbollah, the Iranianbacked militia in Lebanon, as well as senior commanders in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

In one of the emails, believed to have been intercepted by foreign governments, a senior Qatari official reports that £50 million was paid to Soleimani in April 2017, while another £25 million was paid to an Iraqi Shia terror organisation that is accused of killing scores of American troops in southern Iraq.

The US called on Qatar to review its relations with Iran and Iran-sponsored terror groups in view of the President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal.

Iran news agency IRNA reported that a delegation of 70 Iranian experts and businessmen from the public and private sector has left for Doha for two-day meeting.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com