Today, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi, the Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in Tehran.
Iran Nuances had previously reported that the senior Qatari diplomat was scheduled to visit Tehran on Sunday.
During their meeting, which took place in the morning local time, they discussed bilateral and regional relations. In the session, Qatar’s Minister of States delivered a written message from Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, to the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
According to a readout of the meeting from the Iranian SNSC, both parties emphasized their desire to increase cooperation between their countries in all fields, with a particular focus on commercial activities and joint infrastructure projects. They agreed to work within a specific plan and schedule to remove any existing obstacles.
Meeting with Iranian FM
On Sunday evening, Al Khulaifi met with Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister. Photographs of the meeting depict the senior Qatari diplomat presenting a written message to Amirabdullahian. The message has been submitted on behalf of Qatari Emir for president of Iran to visit Doha.
The delivery of the written messages could possibly highlight the significance of his visit to Tehran.
Meeting with Iranian chief negotiator
Another noteworthy development in Al Khulaifi’s trip to Tehran was his meeting with Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy of the foreign minister for political affairs and Iran’s chief negotiator. Over the past few months, Bagheri has participated in indirect negotiations with the United States, mediated by Oman and Qatar.
The visit by the Qatari official comes on the heels of a recent trip by Oman’s foreign minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi to Tehran last week, where he met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Recently, reports have emerged that a prisoner swap deal between Iran and the United States has hit a snag as the US has demanded the release of another American detainee in Iran, bringing the total number to four. However, some sources have counted Baquer Namazi, who was freed in early October 2022 and left Iran, as part of this exchange, and in that case, the number could be five.
Amid the differences in the negotiations between Iran and the US, mediating actors such as Oman and Qatar have intensified their diplomatic efforts to narrow the gap between the two sides. It appears that the recent visits by the Omani and Qatari officials to Tehran are aimed at facilitating this process.
Earlier this year in March, Mohammad Abdulaziz Al-Khalifi met with Ali Shamkhani, the former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran.
During the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, Qatar has served as a mediator, particularly in matters related to the release of Iran’s frozen money in South Korea.
