Doha says Washington wants a deal and seeks reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran warns of “painful” strikes against US and regional targets
Doha, September 2026 : Qatar is working with the United States and Iran to revive negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing conflict, with Doha saying Washington has signalled that it remains interested in reaching a deal.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Qatar had been exchanging ideas with both Washington and Tehran in recent weeks in an effort to restart diplomatic negotiations. He made the remarks on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York.
“We have been working together through our mediator team with both Tehran and the United States to see if we can get it restarted again. A lot of ideas have been thrown back and forth,” Al Ansari said.
He said Qatar was attempting to bridge differences between the two sides and identify an appropriate opportunity to resume talks.
“We have heard statements on the record from various administration officials who have confirmed that the United States wants a deal, and the United States wants a solution to this war,” Al Ansari said.
Qatar has played a mediating role in regional diplomatic efforts and has sought to maintain communication channels with both Washington and Tehran. According to Al Ansari, any potential settlement would need to contribute to broader regional stability while also establishing an international understanding to safeguard strategic waterways.
He specifically highlighted the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy and shipping route whose disruption has raised concerns over international trade and energy supplies.
“Open the strait, stop the war. These are the two main objectives of everything that we're doing right now,” Al Ansari said.
His comments came as tensions remained high following warnings from Iran's military leadership.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's main military command, warned on Sunday that the United States and certain Middle Eastern countries could face retaliation if they took military action against Tehran.
In a statement carried by Iranian media, the headquarters claimed that it had intelligence indicating Washington had decided at a recent meeting in Europe to resume military operations against Iran with the support of certain regional countries.
The military command warned that any US action against Iran would trigger retaliation against American bases and interests across the region.
“If the United States makes any mistake against Iran, all its bases and interests in the region would be targeted by continuous, effective and painful strikes without any limitation or reservation,” the statement said.
Iranian authorities also issued a warning to regional countries that cooperate with Washington. The headquarters accused some states of pursuing what it described as a double-standard policy towards Tehran and cautioned that countries supporting what Iran calls US “aggression” could no longer expect restraint from the Iranian armed forces.
The contrasting developments underline the fragile diplomatic environment surrounding efforts to end the conflict. While Qatar is seeking to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations, Iran's military leadership continues to issue strong warnings against possible US or regional military action.
For Doha, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting hostilities remain closely linked objectives. The success of Qatar's mediation efforts will depend on whether Washington and Tehran can bridge their differences sufficiently to return to formal negotiations.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
