Qatar signals progress on Iran deal, but Gulf fears persist
Echoing Qatar’s comments, he said: “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this conflict” but warned that the U.S.
Key points
- and Iran were “focused on making progress”, but that the timeline for a potential agreement remained unclear.
- Emerging from the latest round of shuttle diplomacy, Al Thani said he was “Grateful for the positive discussions on reaching a deal and bringing peace to the region.” Before Al Thani’s visit to Washington, Qatari officials had held talks in Tehran as well as consultations with other regional governments.
- Global finance firms based in Riyadh’s financial district have been allowing staff to work from home for the last month, while ongoing travel restrictions continue to create additional challenges for those commuting from nearby Gulf hubs, as well as for global executives flying directly into the kingdom.
The number of attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait peaked in October, reaching its highest monthly level since the U.S.-Iran war began, with more than 30 incidents recorded, according to the U.K.
Trump, meanwhile, took to Truth Social to argue that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE “would prefer the status quo”, referencing both the U.S.
Additional details
- On Tuesday, GCC defence ministers approved plans to establish a joint command center in Kuwait, with member states contributing forces to strengthen military integration across the six-nation bloc.
- “We cannot say how close or how far away an agreement is,” Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of the foreign ministry’s media and communication department, told a weekly briefing in Doha.
- But ongoing Houthi attacks across Saudi Arabia mean it is far from business as usual at present.
- lender’s return to the market after more than a decade as it seeks to expand its Gulf business.
- naval blockade and restrictions on Iran’s overland trade under Operation Iron Gate.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
Advertisement
Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet
Get stories like this in your inbox.
Subscribe — it's freeOne free email at 6am — your topics, deduplicated, five minutes. No account, no paywall.