Qatari FM urges PGCC countries to reach understanding with Iran

Al-Thani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with The Guardian on Tuesday.

“If you look at the core of the issue, the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council needs to reach an understanding with Iran, not just Saudi Arabia and Iran - all of us are living in the same neighborhood and we need to reach an understanding. That was the common position of the [P]GCC countries until 2017, but the boycott changed everything.”

He reiterated support for Iran nuclear deal, saying, “Our position on the Iran deal is that, like the Europeans, we support it.”

“We do not want a nuclear arms race in our region, and that is the danger.”

He insisted Doha’s support for Iran deal did not mean his country had now, as some claimed, formed a new axis with Iran and Turkey. “Our geography is difficult. We have sided with no one.”

He also urged international powers, including the US to be more inclusive in their approach to the region, saying one-sided initiatives that excluded either the Iranians or Palestinians did not work.

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