Qatar warns war with Iran could spiral out of control

In a series of blunt warnings and as the US deadline for Iran approaches, Qatar's foreign ministry called for "a way to end the war before it gets out of control", adding that there was still time for diplomacy to prevail, "before it escalates beyond anyone's control".

Qatar issued a direct warning on Tuesday, "calling on all parties to find a solution to this, to find a way to end this war before it gets out of control."

In a series of stark warnings about attacks by any side on civilian infrastructure, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr. Majed al-Ansari told reporters in Doha that "we have been warning since 2023 that escalation left unchecked will lead us to a situation where it cannot be controlled. And we are very close to that point," Euronews.com writes, transmitted by Klankosova.tv

Underlining the importance of this moment, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman went beyond the diplomatic tone of press conferences to say that "we are quite concerned with all that is happening now and we are all waiting to see what will happen in the coming hours."

"We support the efforts of Pakistan and other mediators to find a solution to this issue before it escalates beyond anyone's control."

In a message to the US and Israel, as well as Iran, Al-Ansari expressed Qatar's position that "any targeting of civilian infrastructure in the region will cause the targeting of civilian infrastructure in other countries, including Qatar, and for this reason we stand against any attack on civilian infrastructure by any party."

He further insisted that "attacks on civilian infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure, are putting us all at risk."

"These attacks are completely useless and have a domino effect on global energy markets," he said.

"Attacks on critical infrastructure since the beginning of the war have brought us to the brink of disaster, and we do not want to see more of them," Al-Ansari warned.

"There are many risks for this to happen, when it comes to food security, water security, environmental security, we are still on the brink of these challenges."

'Every day was a red line crossed'

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a specific warning on nuclear risks in the region, stating that "it is very dangerous when we see this kind of attacks on nuclear facilities, we have seen this happen in the war in Ukraine, we have seen this happen now in this war, and this puts people in the region in incredible danger."

The Qatari diplomat said that Doha is in constant communication with the United States and "is working very closely with them... even if we don't agree all the time," but also that the Qatari prime minister spoke with the Iranian foreign minister to "make it clear that attacks on civilian infrastructure, by any party, should not be accepted."

"Since the beginning of this war, a red line has been crossed every day, whether it is an attack on critical infrastructure, whether it is civilian targets in our region, or the fact that our countries are involved in this war," Al-Ansari said.

"There are no winners in the continuation of this war, there are only losers, and the net of losers is expanding every day as a result of the consequences of the economic situation."

Qatar is not directly involved in the ongoing mediation efforts led by Pakistan, but supports them in seeking a quick resolution to the conflict.

"Of course, we remain supportive and hopeful that some form of de-escalation will occur through the work of Pakistani-led mediators and we are ready to assist, but now from a defensive stance we are absolutely ready for any challenge that may come in the coming days," the foreign ministry spokesman said.

"We will defend our country from any aggression coming from any side," he made clear.

Meanwhile, addressing the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Al-Ansari said the war must end first before discussing how the world's main waterway will be managed.

He made Qatar's position clear: "This is an open strait, a natural open strait, that we all share and we all should have a say in how it is run. We have never needed to do this because it is a natural opening and everyone was using it for the benefit of all the peoples in the region and beyond."