What Iran-Qatar reset means for Syria
Iran adds another “Sunni” power to its regional network; Turkey ponders next moves in Idlib; Israel presents the “big picture” on Iran in Washington and Sochi, Russia; Akiva Eldar on Israel’s silence over Charlottesville.
Iran-Qatar seek better ties "in all fields"
Qatar’s Aug. 23 decision to return its ambassador to Tehran could strengthen Iran’s hand in Syria, while further blurring the Sunni-Shiite fault line in the region.
No surprise that Qatar’s announcement that it aspires to “strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields” has inflamed the crisis in the Gulf. Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates minister of state for foreign affairs, said the decision “embarrasses Qatar.”
The Qatari decision caught the United States flat-footed. The US State Department spokesperson said, “There are diplomatic things that may be going on that we’re simply not aware of or can’t speak about right now. … I’m just not going to characterize it, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. But overall, we remain very concerned about the status of this dispute and we’re making those messages clear.”
