Qatar's role as a mediator between the US and Iran is facing a significant test after Doha accused Tehran of attacking a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.
The strike on Al Rekayyat has triggered a diplomatic stand-off between the two countries and raised a broader question: can Qatar continue acting as a bridge between the US and Iran when Tehran is perceived to be targeting it national interests?
“The targeting of the Qatari vessel Al Rekayyat while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an unacceptable attack on the security and safety of international maritime navigation,” Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said. “We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately cease all practices that undermine regional security.”
Some observers say Doha will be forced to reconsider its mediator role after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared willing to target Qatari vessels.
Al Rekkayat was one of two vessels reportedly struck by missiles while transiting the waterway. Saudi shipping company Bahri confirmed on Wednesday that its crude supertanker Wadiyan was the other target.
The Al Rekayyat attack was the first on a Qatari LNG tanker since the war started on February 28 and came as Doha was working to restore exports after months of disruption to its most important industry.
Officials had recently expressed confidence that LNG shipments would quickly return to normal levels and the latest attacks were another major setback for the sector.
Why the vessels were targeted has yet to be established. Iran has, however, insisted that all ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz must obtain its permission. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Qatar's accusations were “perplexing” and that Tehran was diligently fulfilling its commitments. Even so, it said commercial ships using routes with co-ordinating with Iran would be taking risks.
Delicate balance
Despite coming under Iranian attack during the Middle East war, Qatar still played a central role in brokering an interim understanding between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan has also acted as a mediator but Doha remains the more established intermediary, reflecting its long experience of enabling dialogue on Middle Eastern conflicts.
Iran retaliated against US and Israeli air strikes in February by attacking all six Gulf Co=operation nations. Qatar kept communication channels with Tehran open. Last weekend, Doha sent a delegation to attend the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a gesture of diplomatic protocol. None of Bahrain, Kuwait or the UAE sent representatives.
For decades, Qatar has pursued a foreign policy built on engagement rather than confrontation. It hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East while maintaining relations with Iran, allowing Doha to facilitate prisoner exchanges, relay messages and mediate indirect negotiations between the adversaries.
That strategy depends on one critical ingredient: trust.
While Qatar has previously absorbed Iranian military actions without abandoning diplomacy, the targeting of one of its own commercial vessels could narrow the political space in which that diplomacy operates.
After the attacks, the US launched strikes on Iranian targets. The US military said its forces hit more than 80 targets, striking more than 60 small boats linked to the IRGC, as well as air-defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites and anti-ship missile capabilities. Iran responded by attacking US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, the IRGC said.
The US and Iran declared a ceasefire in early April and, in mid-June, the two sides signed an agreement aimed at bringing the war to a close. Despite the accord and pledges to work towards peace, both countries have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire, leaving it on increasingly shaky ground.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared the agreement “over”, describing Iran's leadership as “sick people”. The US said it was revoking a general licence that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil, placing new economic pressure on Tehran.
Trust deficit
Qatar summoned Iran's deputy ambassador in Doha after the attack and on Wednesday condemned what it described as repeated Iranian attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait, calling them violations of international law and Gulf sovereignty.
The developments reinforce security concerns shared across the region. Last month, two Gulf diplomats told The National that talks aimed at repairing relations with Iran were unlikely to resume any time soon and that rebuilding trust with Tehran remained the biggest obstacle.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said Iranian attacks on shipping and Gulf states were a “clear indicator that Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on war”.
“The Gulf Arab states cannot remain a target for Iran's wavering between the logic of escalation and the path of rationality, stability and peace,” he wrote on X.
