Serdar Dincel and Hussien Elkabany
16 June 2026•Update: 16 June 2026
- Qatar says it participated in mediation effort and will attend signing ceremony
Qatar on Tuesday called for regional dialogue and confidence-building measures between the US and Iran after the two sides announced a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding set to be signed on Friday.
“We are supporting the Pakistani-led mediation and the efforts of our brothers in Pakistan,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters.
He said Doha would continue backing efforts to advance progress in US-Iran negotiations, adding that “we don't take lightly our responsibility towards regional security.”
Al-Ansari noted that a “regional dialogue is needed as part of the negotiation that will take place” after the signing of the deal in Switzerland.
He also underlined that no Qatari funds have been paid under the framework agreement.
“Qatar participated in the Pakistani mediation team to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran,” the spokesman said.
He said Qatar had worked to help bridge differences between the two sides and would participate in the signing ceremony for the agreement.
Al-Ansari added that communications among the parties remain ongoing and that Qatar is in contact with all sides “to ensure the agreement reaches safe shores.”
He also said Doha is not currently hosting meetings between the US and Iran in connection with the deal.
Describing the understanding as “a first step toward broader regional consensus to ensure the region's stability,” al-Ansari stressed that Qatar views the agreement as “an opportunity to launch a wider process of dialogue and confidence-building.”
On Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the US and Iran had reached an agreement following intensive negotiations mediated by Islamabad.
The US and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Iranian retaliatory attacks against Israel and what Tehran described as US interests in several Arab countries before a temporary ceasefire took effect on April 8.
