Qatar Says Gaza War Nucleus of Iran Attacks on Gulf Amid Current Wars in the World and Urges Negotiated Deal
Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari stated that the war in Gaza served as the 'nucleus' for Iran's attacks on the Gulf and that the Iran conflict will only be resolved through a negotiated deal amid current wars in the world. [1]
Qatari Position on Regional Conflict Origins
Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told CNN that the Iran conflict will only be resolved through a deal. [1] He argued that the nucleus of the broader regional crisis was the war Israel fought in Gaza. [1] Ansari framed the attacks on Gulf states as the consequence of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. [1] He said the nucleus of this issue was what happened in Gaza and that the region needs to go back to that starting with recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz and ending with finding a solution to the Palestinian issue. [1] Ansari added that this cannot be dealt with as an afterthought and must be worked on carefully regionally and with international partners. [1] Dr. Ariel Admoni of Ariel University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security noted that Ansari’s framing of Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is typical of Qatar’s narrative. [1] By presenting the current regional climate as a spillover from the Gaza war Admoni said Doha could adopt an I told you so stance with other powers in the region and attempt to create its own version of peace. [1] Admoni warned that Doha’s version of peace would rely on security concessions from Israel and the West. [1]
Calls for Negotiation Over Sanctions
Ansari acknowledged that sanctions have been a staple in diplomacy in the Middle East for some time. [1] He claimed sanctions had not yielded the results that have been expected. [1] Ansari argued that sanctions only impact the economy the people and the state’s ability to survive. [1] He asserted that this issue will only be resolved through a deal and only at the negotiation table. [1] Whatever leverage is used on either side will end up as an item on an agreement that is signed at the end he reasoned. [1] The sooner an agreement is reached the less suffering that will be had on the international economy and also on the peoples of this region according to Ansari. [1]
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Strait of Hormuz Disruptions and Global Risks
Qatar like many of Iran’s neighboring Gulf states has been repeatedly attacked by the Islamic Republic since Israel and the United States struck Iran at the end of February. [1] Despite Doha’s economy and energy infrastructure not being spared from Iranian drones and missiles Ansari framed the attacks as stemming from the Gaza war. [1] Ansari said Qatar’s two main priorities were keeping the strait open and ensuring there is no military escalation in the region whether it be the missiles falling on residential areas in the Gulf or the attacks on Iran. [1] He warned that closing the Strait of Hormuz could not become normalized especially given there are other waterways that could be weaponized in this way and with potentially more damaging consequences. [1] Ansari said the world today with just one strait being affected is facing inflation problems energy security problems food security problems and an industrial catastrophe if this continues. [1] He added that the world has seen death and destruction at unbelievable levels as a result of maritime security being affected. [1] Former Wilson Center global fellow Thomas O’Donnell noted that US officials assessed that Hormuz was losing its strategic value because new pipelines are being created which bypass Hormuz entirely. [1] Ansari doubted there was an immediate solution to the crisis and suggested that the stalemate between Washington and Tehran could only be phased out rather than ended immediately. [1]
Analysis of Qatari Motivations
Dr. Ariel Admoni told The Jerusalem Post that Ansari’s framing of Gaza is typical of Qatar’s narrative. [1] Admoni suggested that Ansari’s rather forgiving stance toward the Islamic Republic could be connected to the LNG shipments Qatar has been able to make to India and Japan. [1] Three liquefied natural gas cargoes loaded in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were transferred between ships outside the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks for delivery to India and Japan according to ship-tracking firms. [1] Unlike crude oil ship-to-ship LNG transfers are unusual. [1] Admoni theorized that this kind of coordination appeared because most likely Qatar promised Iran amounts of money while at the same time coordinating with Trump some kind of maneuver regarding Qatari gas. [1] From their perspective one needs Qatari gas for stability or at least to reduce instability Admoni said. [1] Qatar tried to project an image that without Qatar and Qatari gas the international economy is fragile and in danger according to Admoni. [1] He noted that the comments came at a time when Europe is increasingly concerned about having sufficient gas supplies for the winter with Qatari LNG exports still disrupted. [1] Admoni argued that Ansari’s remarks therefore serve as a form of international pressure that benefits Qatar. [1] Admoni added that in the latest round of conflict GCC states had also been less convincing on a unified approach toward Iran and the intensity of the attacks has weakened. [1]
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Pre-October 7 Warning to Netanyahu
Haaretz newspaper in a report excerpted from a forthcoming book by its reporters said UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Netanyahu a week and a half before the October 7 2023 attack and told him that Hamas was planning a major operation. [2] Netanyahu’s office called the report by the left-leaning newspaper an absolute lie and denied he spoke to the Emirati leader at that time. [2] Gadi Eisenkot a former military commander accused the long-serving prime minister of evading responsibility for security lapses and resorting to pathetic excuses such as saying he was not woken up soon enough on the morning of the attack. [2] Eisenkot wrote that Netanyahu received dozens of warnings for October 7 and ignored them all and that he is unfit. [2] Naftali Bennett a former prime minister said Netanyahu bears personal and direct responsibility for the deaths on October 7. [2] Bennett said Netanyahu cannot continue to serve in his position for even one more minute. [2] Haaretz said that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar later killed by Israel had warned a former Palestinian official that the militants were preparing a terrifying operation which he described as an earthquake. [2] The former Palestinian official relayed the message to an Emirati adviser who passed it on to the Emirati leader who then called Netanyahu the newspaper said. [2] The newspaper quoting mostly anonymous sources said that Netanyahu replied calmly to the warning. [2] Netanyahu for years had sought to preserve the status quo with Hamas which would receive funding via Qatar with an understanding the Islamist group was more interested in self-preservation than a devastating war with Israel. [2] The UAE normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords under US President Donald Trump’s first administration. [2] Netanyahu sees close ties with the UAE as a key achievement. [2]
Casualties and Aftermath of October 7
Hamas on October 7 stormed into Israel in a rampage that included mass killing at a music festival. [2] The attack killed 1,221 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. [2] The militants also dragged into Gaza 251 hostages 44 of them already dead. [2] The massive Israeli offensive in response has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed 73,658 people according to the Gaza health ministry which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the UN. [2]
What to watch next: observers will monitor whether the stalemate between Washington and Tehran phases out through negotiations and whether new pipelines reduce the strategic value of the Strait of Hormuz while Europe tracks Qatari LNG supplies for winter.
