Axios, citing U.S. officials, reported that Qatar was willing to help with “behind the scenes talks” in the current conflict, but not as official mediators.
Qatar is not currently engaged in mediation efforts in the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, despite reports suggesting possible talks led by Doha and Cairo to end the nearly month-long conflict.
“We are currently focused on defending our country and addressing the situation following the LNG [liquefied natural gas] attacks. We are not currently engaged in any mediation efforts,” a Qatari diplomat, whose identity remained anonymous, told Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim on Sunday.
Earlier, Axios, citing U.S. officials, said Qatar was willing to help with “behind the scenes talks” in the current conflict, but not as an official mediator. The report also said Egypt, Qatar and the United Kingdom were passing messages between the U.S. and Iran “in recent days”.
The Axios report claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began “initial discussions” on the next phase of the war and the possible peace talks scenario.
It also claimed that Qatar and Egypt informed the U.S. and Israel that Iran was interested in negotiating “with very tough terms”. Iran has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire, compensation for the damage sustained and guarantees that the war will not resume.
Qatar and Egypt had played a key diplomatic role between Hamas and Israel over the past couple of years to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. In October 2025, Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of the ceasefire deal, although the latter persisted in its attacks on the besieged enclave.
The U.S. and Israel triggered the current war on 28 February by targeting Iran, which has since responded by targeting the Gulf region. The war has neared a month, with escalations continuing without a deal in sight.
Iran repeatedly claimed that its regional targets have been U.S. interests, a justification that the Gulf countries rejected as their territories’ civilian infrastructure were under attack.
On 2 March, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence announced that two Iranian drones had targeted a water tank and an energy facility in the country.
One drone struck a water tank belonging to a power plant in Mesaieed, while the other targeted an energy facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City belonging to QatarEnergy. No casualties were reported.
Israel then attacked facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, 18 March. Iran responded by targeting energy facilities across the region, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.
The attacks in Qatar caused fires, which the Civil Defence contained with no casualties reported. Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement at the time condemning “the blatant Iranian attack”.
Qatar slammed it as “a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security and regional stability”.
“Despite Qatar’s policy of distancing itself from this war since its outset and its commitment to avoiding any escalation, the Iranian side continues to target it and neighboring countries in an irresponsible approach that undermines regional security and threatens international peace,” the statement said.
