Qatar urges de-escalation after condemning Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, as President Donald Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is “over”.
Qatar has strongly condemned the repeated Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, calling them a flagrant violation of the two countries’ sovereignty and a blatant breach of international law. The IRGC had said that it targeted U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday after Washington’s attacks on southern Iran.
In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged a return to dialogue and diplomacy, calling on all parties to de-escalate and build on the gains achieved under the framework of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the need to spare the region the consequences of unjustified attacks, to continue on the path of dialogue and diplomacy, to reduce escalation, and to build on the gains achieved within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding, in a way that contributes to consolidating security and stability at the regional and international levels,” the MoFA said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran “over” — though he stopped short of ruling out further talks — speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara after the two sides traded fire overnight.
“I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump told reporters as he met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched fresh strikes against more than 80 targets inside Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, including air defence systems, radar sites and over 60 IRGC small boats, in direct response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the strait including Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” the CENTCOM said in a statement.
U.S. forces, the command added, remain prepared to hold Iran accountable if the agreement continues to be breached.
The strike on the strategic port of Sirik in southern Iran injured four people and heavily damaged maritime infrastructure, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy also condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf Arab states, specifically naming the Qatar’s LNG carrier Al-Rekayyat, Saudi crude tanker Al-Wedyan, and repeated missile and drone strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.
Fahmy warned of the serious dangers posed by the escalation and reaffirmed the Arab League’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and all Gulf states, stressing that Gulf security is an integral part of Arab national security.
