Qatar: Iran's miscalculations behind targeting Gulf states
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects justifications for Houthi attacks and confirms Gulf coordination amid ongoing Iranian-US tensions.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Iran’s decision “to launch strikes against Gulf states is based on flawed and desperate calculations,” emphasizing that “Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia cannot be justified.”
In an interview addressing Gulf security, relations with Iran, and coordination among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath on Friday that any agreement with Iran must address the concerns of all parties, stressing the region’s need for a new security architecture.
Regarding the US base in Doha, the Qatari Foreign Ministry clarified that it had not been used in strikes against Iran, while reaffirming ongoing daily GCC coordination at various levels.
In a related development, Axios reported that US officials said the White House had suspended strikes against Iranian anti-ship missiles and drone launch platforms in the Strait of Hormuz to avoid escalating the war ahead of the midterm congressional elections, thereby emboldening Tehran to carry out more attacks.
The report noted that Iran is targeting additional ships in an effort to raise oil prices and increase pressure on President Donald Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. It highlighted concerns within US Central Command that Iranian attacks could prompt shipping companies to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, reducing oil flows and causing a sharp spike in prices.
US officials said Washington’s proposal to end the war remains under internal deliberation in Tehran, and that mediators have informed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Tehran should not delay its response until after the midterms, as Trump may adopt a harder line afterward, according to Axios.
In an interview with Newsmax on Friday, Trump ruled out deploying ground troops to Iran, affirming that the United States would not use nuclear weapons against it.
However, he hinted at the possibility of targeting the “Jabal-e-Faqs” site and resorting to highly destructive conventional weapons, referring to the GBU-43/B bomb, also known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” which is the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal.
