Qatar links Strait of Hormuz reopening to US-Iran ceasefire talks
Qatar says an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would help resume US-Iran talks, urging Israel to implement ceasefire phases.
Qatar has indicated that a negotiated reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could serve as a catalyst for restarting stalled ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran. Speaking in Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid al-Ansari described the desired trajectory as one where an agreement on the strategic waterway coincides with a resumption of both the ceasefire and the broader negotiations.
Al-Ansari acknowledged that the process is not strictly linear, noting that the parallel tracks of diplomacy may converge or diverge. However, he stressed that securing an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz would significantly ease the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran.
In a separate statement, the spokesperson addressed the ongoing ceasefire plan, expressing Qatar's determination to push forward despite what he described as Israeli intransigence in implementing the agreement. He pointed to Hamas's recent announcement accepting the plan in its own manner, including the issue of disarmament, as an important step forward.
Al-Ansari called on Israel to now implement the commitments made in the first and second stages of the plan, noting that several agreements from the first phase remain unapproved by the Israeli side and are still pending in the second phase.