Qatar Urges Iran to Halt Attacks, Calls on US to Return to Peace Path
The Government of Qatar has called upon Iran to immediately cease attacks on its territory and other Gulf nations. Doha has also urged the United States (US) to return to the path of peace.
The situation in the Middle East has escalated since the US, alongside Israel, launched a large-scale attack against Iran on 28 February. Tehran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks against targets in Israel and Gulf countries that host US military assets.
Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, called for Iranian attacks on Qatar and neighbouring countries to “cease immediately”, according to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the unjustified and excessive attacks against the State of Qatar, which directly impact our sovereignty,” al-Khulaifi stated firmly in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera.
Al-Khulaifi said that Qatar is “concerned about attacks that target not only military infrastructure, but also civilian infrastructure” in recent days. He praised Qatar’s security services, which he said “have intercepted every missile and drone” detected in the country.
Furthermore, al-Khulaifi warned that Iranian attacks would damage Qatar’s long-standing historical relations. He noted that Qatar has consistently advocated for diplomacy, including through Omani mediators who facilitated previous dialogue between Iran and the US before the conflict erupted.
“Regional countries are not enemies of Iran, and Iran does not understand this concept,” al-Khulaifi said.
“They continue to launch missiles and continue to attack Qatar and regional countries. This brings no benefit to Iran; in fact, it causes considerable damage to those long-standing historical relations,” he cautioned.
Qatar Calls on US to Return to Peace Path
Al-Khulaifi urged the US to return to the path of peace. He also called for negotiations to resume between the conflicting parties.
Al-Khulaifi stated that Qatar has maintained communication channels with US President Donald Trump’s administration throughout the conflict. He said that Doha has encouraged the US and other parties in the war to “return to the path of peace” and return to “the negotiating table”.
Al-Khulaifi emphasised that diplomacy remains the only way forward.
“We believe there is no other path to a sustainable and long-term solution except to return to the negotiating table,” he said.
“Qatar will continue to call for de-escalation, and Qatar will continue to call for a political solution to the conflict,” al-Khulaifi stated.