Qatar calls on Iran to stop Gulf attacks, urges diplomatic solution | US-Israel war over Iran news

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari accused Iran of targeting civilian areas.

Qatar has called on Iran to immediately halt attacks on Gulf states so a diplomatic solution can be sought to end the war with the United States and Israel that has sparked a global energy crisis.

“Iran must stop the attack immediately to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Monday, adding that Tehran was attacking civilian areas.

“Iran is attacking the Gulf countries for no reason and its attacks must stop because we are out of the conflict,” the spokesman told a news conference in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Iran has been targeting US assets and civilian sites in the Gulf countries since the US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28.

The attacks have killed more than 1,400 people in Iran and damaged military and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, airports and seaports.

Tehran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel, killing at least 15 people.

Qatar and other Gulf states are urging Iran to stop its attacks, with Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations last week describing the attack as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

At a news conference on Monday, al-Ansari said Iranian media would target financial and civilian sites — a move the spokesman said Qatar takes seriously.

“A decision is needed from Iran’s foreign minister to stop the attacks, and Qatar will defend itself,” he said. “Contacts are still ongoing with Gulf countries to mitigate and counter Iran’s attacks.”

However, there is currently no mediation between the US and Iran, he said.

Iran denies some Gulf attacks

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmail Baghai denied Tehran was behind some of the attacks targeting Gulf countries on Monday as he accused the US and Israel of carrying out some of the attacks.

He demanded that foreign governments investigate.

“They have copied many of the weapons used by Iran. Some have alleged that Iranian drones can reach the West Coast of the United States. I can assure you that Iranian drones cannot cover that distance,” he told a news conference.

Baghai said all these “false allegations” were meant to pave the way for the “false-flag operation they intend to carry out”.

Reporting from the Iranian capital, Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said Baghai’s comments about the US and Israel were “serious accusations”, making it clear how Iran would react.

“The Iranian team has come out with a clear message that in the event of a US attack on Iran, the response will be crushing and include all US military bases across the region,” he noted.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi expressed Tehran’s readiness to conduct a joint investigation into the attack on the Gulf countries.

But Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Al-Ansari rejected the proposal for a joint investigation, saying: “Iran must stop its attacks on countries that do not target Iranian territory.”