MOSCOW - Qatar's ruler and the Iranian president discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz during a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, the Emir's office said. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met on the sidelines of a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Moscow, and Pezeshkian was also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.
Source: AFP, Oct 27, 2026 - Qatar, Iran leaders discussed war in Moscow meeting (Emir's office)
The two leaders 'reviewed the current state of relations between Tehran and Doha and emphasised the importance of deepening political and economic ties and making use of existing potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation,' Iranian state television said, in the readout carried by AFP. A readout from the Iranian Presidency said cooperation in the energy sector, the development of economic and trade exchanges, and strengthening coordination among gas-exporting countries were among the key topics discussed, Press TV reported. Al Jazeera noted that the Iranian account made no mention of a discussion of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has seen Iran carry out missile and drone strikes on targets across the region, including in Qatar.
The high-level meeting came a day after senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting. Monday's Tehran talks included Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir and Turkiye's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, and Iran described them as 'very good', AFP reported. On Sunday, a Qatari delegation had visited Tehran and 'reviewed developments in the regional situation, foremost among them the latest on the negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz, and energy supplies,' Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Source: AFP, Oct 27, 2026 - Qatar, Iran leaders discussed war in Moscow meeting (Emir's office)
Qatar and Pakistan have been at the forefront of efforts to secure a lasting deal between the United States and Iran. At a briefing on Tuesday, Qatari foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi said the region needed a new security framework to prevent further violence. 'The ball is now in Iran's court to commit to these principles and demonstrate good faith,' he said, adding: 'We have heard positive statements from the Iranian side… but they still need to demonstrate good faith, stop threatening countries of the region, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.' The meeting follows warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the eight-month war; Putin said in early October that Russia was prepared to take part in mediation to bring an end to it.
Source: AFP, Oct 27, 2026 - Qatar, Iran leaders discussed war in Moscow meeting (Emir's office)
Qatar shares the world's largest natural gas field with Iran and has been a central mediator throughout the war, even though Iranian strikes hit targets in Qatar itself. A face-to-face meeting between the Emir and Iran's president - with the war and the Hormuz blockade on the table, according to Doha - is the clearest sign yet that the mediation track is moving at head-of-state level, days after the Mecca pact countries took their own de-escalation case to Tehran.