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A member of Qatar’s Shura Council stated that Doha is making intense diplomatic efforts to secure a deal between Washington and Tehran and that there are signs both sides want to resolve the crisis, predicting "good news."
"The fact that negotiations are still continuing shows that the U.S. and Iran want to find a solution to the crisis. I think good news may come in the coming period," Jaber al-Harami, a Shura Council member and editor-in-chief of the Doha-based Al-Sharq newspaper, told Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
Harami said Qatar is continuing its efforts to reach an agreement or new understandings between the two countries, as fears grow of a renewed military confrontation.
The crisis will not end with one side’s outright victory or the other’s total defeat, and a diplomatic solution requires mutual concessions, al-Harami said.
"In this crisis, there is actually no winner or loser. Neither the U.S. nor Iran will achieve a victory in the sense that the concept of victory implies; at the same time, there will be no defeated state," he said.
"Qatar’s efforts in recent days are focused on reaching a formula that will bring the sides closer together, with both sides making concessions on which a comprehensive solution to the crisis can be built. Qatar will spare no effort in this regard," the Qatari lawmaker noted.
"The region needs some calm today. The peoples of the region need to be protected from the destructive consequences of tension. We have experienced every kind of military conflict. That is why Qatar’s efforts are focused on preventing a resumption of military conflict," Harami said, pointing to the impact of prolonged crises, disruptions to maritime navigation and wars on the region’s peoples.
His remarks came as Iran said its two-day proposal remains "the most logical, operational, and structured roadmap” for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Tehran’s demands "outrageous and ridiculous" and said the sides were not "on the verge of a breakthrough."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran maintains "continuous consultations" with mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
Harami said Republicans' losses in the U.S. midterm elections reflected foreign policy choices, particularly on Palestine, with younger generations reacting against what he called Washington’s "blind" support for Israel.
"Gaza led to a change in American public opinion, and I think it affected the results of the U.S. elections," he said, adding that his criticism also applied to former President Joe Biden’s administration, which backed Israel in the Gaza war.
"The U.S. may be geographically far from this region, but the repercussions of the war, especially on energy, reached the daily life of American citizens. Price increases affected the voting reflex of American citizens," the Qatari lawmaker said.
Mass protests against Israeli attacks in various countries show a clear shift in international public opinion, al-Harami said, adding that Gaza has influenced political debates and public attitudes worldwide.
"The intense interest in Arab parties is a direct result of the occupation and what happened in Gaza," he said of the Arab parties’ record showing in Israel’s election. He described the Netanyahu government’s approach as expansionist and said developments on the ground in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf would cause these policies to recede.
Al-Harami said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s domestic pressures and legal cases drive his foreign policy, including in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.
"Netanyahu wants to set the region on fire by steering the U.S. toward a resumption of military conflict and war with Iran. In this way, he is trying to escape the responsibilities he would face through a possible early election or domestic political compromises, especially if he is left outside the government," he said.
He rejected accusations by some in Israel that Qatar interfered in its election and financed Arab parties.
"These are completely baseless accusations; we categorically reject them. Qatar has never been seen or known to interfere in such matters and developments," he noted.
"Israel has an obsession with Qatar. This is not the first accusation they have made against Qatar. With manufactured and fabricated charges, they are trying to mislead Israeli, American and Western public opinion and damage Qatar’s image," Harami said.
The Qatari lawmaker noted that Türkiye is an inseparable part of the region with deep historical ties to its countries, and faces the same challenges as Arab states.
"There is an exemplary relationship between Türkiye and Qatar. These ties have even surpassed traditional diplomatic patterns. The two countries have come to view regional issues through the same window. They conduct close cooperation both bilaterally and on regional and international platforms. Such solidarity has no equal in the region," he said.
"Thanks to Türkiye’s rational policies and its support for the issues of the Arab and Islamic world, confidence in its role in the region is steadily increasing," Harami said, describing Ankara’s support for Palestine, the central cause of the Arab and Islamic world, as a key factor strengthening regional partnerships.
Qatar supports the Mecca pact and all steps that strengthen solidarity among Arab and Islamic countries, al-Harami said, citing the Badr agreement signed in Doha by Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia as a concrete example.
"This circle could expand. Other countries could come together and join this Mecca alliance or similar agreements," he said.
"After this war, many issues will be reconsidered. Cooperation in many areas, including existing alliances and agreements with different countries, will be re-evaluated. I think new alliances will emerge. Our brothers in Türkiye will have an important role in establishing these agreements and alliances," he said, as Qatar presses on with mediation in the U.S.-Iran talks.
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