Qatar backs US-Iran talks, calls for reopening of Hormuz Strait

Qatar expressed on Tuesday its support for the Pakistan-mediated diplomatic talks between the US and Iran, and called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.

Doha “supports the Islamabad negotiations aimed at reaching a solution between Washington and Tehran,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference.

He said two Qatari gas tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 10 and 11 en route to Port Qasim in Pakistan through contacts with the Pakistani side and as part of regional coordination efforts aimed at reopening the waterway to navigation.

However, this “does not mean navigation has returned to normal or that the strait has been reopened," he added.

“Ten Qatari gas tankers remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, along with vessels from Qatar and many other countries waiting to enter or exit the strait," the spokesman noted.

Regional tensions have remained high since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the strategic waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s key energy chokepoints, linking the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and international markets. Disruptions in the area have fueled concerns over global oil, fuel and gas supplies since the start of the Iran war.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel