Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visits Tehran in bid to help salvage nuclear deal
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad’s visit to Iran caused a stir, not because of its importance at the regional and international level, but because the Qatari Emir made himself available to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to revive the nuclear deal by any means.
As expected with the end of the visit, the two countries stressed the importance of reaching an agreement in the nuclear negotiations between the international community and Tehran.
Khamenei’s official website quoted him as saying that “the strength and consistency of Iranian-Qatari relations are in the interest of both countries”, but he said that economic relations between the two countries are “very low and must be doubled”.
On the political front, Khamenei pointed to the existence of “a platform for exchange of views”, expressing his hope that the visit of the Emir of Qatar will turn into a new starting point for strengthening cooperation.
Tamim’s road blocked
The Qatari emir was expected to fly to EU countries to convey Iran’s demands and conduct his usual mediation, but the EU preceded him in this step and sent Enrique Mora, special coordinator for the talks on reviving the Iranian nuclear agreement, to Tehran in conjunction with Tamim’s visit.
This move came as a demonstration by the European Union that it is the one who imposes the conditions on the nuclear issue, not Qatar and Iran. Enrique Mora immediately rushed to meet with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, to follow up on where the two sides had stopped in Vienna.
The Vienna talks stalled when Iran demanded that the IRGC be removed from the US terror list, lifting sanctions imposed under Washington’s designation under Donald Trump on April 8, 2019.
Qatari mediation failed
Private sources told QLeaks that Mora brought a clear message to Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri.
According to the sources, the message boils down to the need for Iran to give up its condition of removing the Revolutionary Guard from the US terrorist list, and that if Iran continues to adhere to this condition and insert mediation “in a sign to Qatar”, the entire nuclear agreement will collapse this time and not only will it stop, as was previously the case.
The sources also said that Mora understood the Iranians that Europe is ready to make “reasonable” concessions to Iran on the condition that the latter keep its promises through concrete results, not through Qatari mediation and others.
Observers say that this plan thwarted Tamim’s efforts before they began. His dreams threatened to blackmail the old continent with gas and energy.
Economists say that if Western negotiators succeed in reviving the nuclear deal apart from Qatar and its mediators, Iranian oil will add 1.5 million barrels a day to the global market, meaning that additional oil will contribute to reducing global prices, which have risen sharply since the start of the Ukraine war.
