Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim and US President Donald Trump have discussed efforts towards de-escalation and stability in the region, as Washington and Iran pursue diplomatic solutions over Iran's nuclear programme.
The leaders spoke on the phone and exchanged views about regional and international developments, Qatar's Royal Court reported on Wednesday.
Their call came before a meeting between Mr Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister is expected to press the US President to widen America's talks with Iran to include curbs on Tehran's missile arsenal and other security concerns beyond its nuclear programme.
Mr Trump and Sheikh Tamim emphasised the need for further co-ordination and consultation on issues of common interest and supporting diplomatic efforts to resolve crises through dialogue and peaceful means.
They also reviewed the strategic relations between the US and Qatar, and ways to support and develop the two countries in several fields, according to the statement.
The call also comes as Ali Larijani, a leading adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Secretary of its Supreme National Security Council, met Sheikh Tamim in Doha on Wednesday. Mr Larijani had met Oman's Sultan Haitham in Muscat a day earlier.
Sultan Haitham and Mr Larijani discussed “the latest developments in the Iran-US negotiations” on Tehran's nuclear programme “as well as ways to reach a balanced and fair agreement between the two sides”, Oman News Agency reported.
Mr Larijani's talks with regional leaders aimed “to strengthen bilateral relations and strengthen dialogues on international developments”, according to Iran's Irna news agency.
Mr Trump told Fox Business that a good deal with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles” but did not elaborate.
He told Axios that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a major build-up of US forces near Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is already in the region.
Israel is concerned that the US might pursue a nuclear-focused deal that does not include limitations on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, or an end to Iranian support for armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, Reuters said, citing people familiar with the matter.
“I will present to the [US] President our perceptions of the principles in the negotiations,” Mr Netanyahu told reporters before departing for America.
After arriving in Washington on Tuesday night, he met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who led the US team at the talks with Iran, according to a post on X by Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Leiter.
The latest round of negotiations began last Friday in Oman amid soaring regional tension. Washington sent an “armada” to the Middle East in response to a government crackdown on protests in Iran. Concerns are high that Washington could launch another attack on Tehran. Iran also warned it would respond by striking American bases in the region.
Both the US and Iran have described the recent talks as “positive” but this has not helped de-escalate the situation. Mr Trump warned that if a deal is not reached, the US will do “something very tough”.
