Qatari, Iranian foreign ministers meet in Doha

Qatar and Iran’s top diplomats met in Doha today.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani hosted his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian for an official visit. They discussed bilateral relations and unspecified “regional developments,” according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amir-Abdollahian also promised to provide Qatar “technical and engineering services” related to the 2022 World Cup, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The tournament will take place in Doha from November to December.

Qatar has publicly declared its support for resurrecting the Iran nuclear deal.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council criticized Iran’s support for proxy groups at their December meeting while also calling for dialogue with Iran.

For its part, Iran is making efforts this year to improve its ties with Gulf states. Earlier this week, Amir-Abdollahian visited Oman to discuss strengthening cooperation, including on Eurasian trade. The minister said that the trips to Oman and Qatar were part of the Islamic Republic’s efforts to improve relations with its Persian Gulf neighbors, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.