Qatar PM heads to Tehran as Hormuz diplomacy intensifies

Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani are set to visit Tehran in a renewed effort to revive diplomacy between Iran and the United States.

Qatar has acted as a key intermediary between the two sides and helped secure a ceasefire that temporarily halted hostilities. 

The latest visit comes as fighting has largely subsided, but negotiations remain stalled amid Washington’s plans for tougher economic pressure on Tehran.

Qatar said Sheikh Mohammed will discuss de-escalation, restoring conditions that existed before the war and ensuring freedom of navigation through Hormuz. 

The strait is crucial to global energy markets, with oil flows falling sharply during the conflict. Reuters reported that around 5 million barrels per day were passing through the waterway, compared with roughly 20 million barrels per day before the war.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have been negotiating arrangements to restore maritime traffic. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said progress was made on sharing control and revenues from the waterway, but an Iranian source told Reuters that a final agreement with Oman had not yet been reached.