Qatar’s emir holds talks with Iran’s supreme leader in Tehran

The Emir (Head of State) of Qatar recently made a state visit to Iran, during which he held talks with Iran's Supreme Leader and President. The visit, occurring at a time of heightened regional tensions, has garnered significant attention.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's spiritual leader and ultimate authority, in Tehran on Wednesday. The two leaders engaged in in-depth discussions on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Sheikh Tamim acknowledged the tense situation in the region and urged countries to strengthen cooperation to address the current circumstances. According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, Khamenei stated that Iran still considers Qatar a "brotherly country," despite some "unclear and unresolved" issues, including frozen Iranian assets.

Currently, approximately $6 billion of Iranian funds remain frozen under U.S. sanctions and are held in Qatari banks. Khamenei criticized the United States for obstructing the agreement to return the funds to Iran and expressed Iran's hope that Qatar would resist pressure from Washington to release Iran's assets. "We know that the U.S. is the main obstacle to implementing the agreements reached," he said.

Earlier, Sheikh Tamim also held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in the Iranian capital and held a press conference afterward. "I am pleased to visit Iran today, at a time when the region faces many challenges and developments that require greater coordination," Sheikh Tamim said. Pezeshkian stated that relations between the two countries are strong and that they hold "similar views on regional and international issues."

The two leaders discussed "the unity of Syrian territory and the participation of all Syrian groups in deciding their future." Pezeshkian said that Iran appreciates Qatar's mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, where Israel has conducted a 15-month war. In addition, the two leaders also discussed expanding economic ties. "We affirmed the need to explore more opportunities in the economic and trade fields between our two countries," Sheikh Tamim said.

Touhid Asadi, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran, stated that the meeting was "crucial." "We heard the leaders of both countries emphasize the necessity of peace in the region and the need to expand [economic] ties," Asadi said.