Asked on the developments in Lebanon, Al-Ansari renewed Qatar’s condemnation of Israel’s attacks.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said focus should remain on ending the U.S.-Israel war on Iran rather than concentrating solely on the Strait of Hormuz issue.

“There is a need for both a regional and an international solution, as we have stated more than once before. However, I believe it is still too early at this stage. We are currently focused on achieving a ceasefire, ending this war in the region and pulling the region back from the brink of this ongoing conflict,” Al-Ansari told a weekly press briefing on Tuesday.

“Therefore, the emphasis now is on maintaining the ceasefire, solidifying it and transforming it into a lasting and stable state in the region,” he added.

Al-Ansari noted that Qatar has been communicating with its “partners to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to stop the negative repercussions of its closure”.

His remarks came amid the continuous closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on 28 February. 

On Monday, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade on Iran to pressure it to accept its terms in the ceasefire negotiations. Pakistan hosted a round of talks on Saturday between the U.S. and Iran, which ended without a deal. 

While reports on Tuesday pointed to a possible new round of talks, Al-Ansari told the press that there has been no confirmation of a new meeting yet.

“We are awaiting confirmation of a new round of negotiations in Pakistan and we support these diplomatic efforts,” he said.

The Qatari official also slammed rumours that there were discussions between Qatar and Iran over payments in order to stop the Iranian attacks on the Gulf state. Al-ansari dismissed such attempts to tarnish Qatar’s reputation or present it as acting alone.

“We consider any attack on any of our neighbours in this region an attack on the sovereignty of Qatar and therefore any solution is to be a regional solution in dealing with this threat. There has been absolutely no single lined process with the Iranians since the war started,” Al-Ansari said.

“We will defend our country against any attacks and any talk of financially stopping these attacks is completely false and it’s just aiming to tarnish the reputation of my country,” he explained.

Israel has also intensified its bombardment of Lebanon since 2 March, killing at least 2,089 people in the country. Pakistan’s announcement of the U.S.-Iran deal initially involved a ceasefire in Lebanon, which Israel has rejected.

Asked on the developments in Lebanon, Al-Ansari renewed Qatar’s condemnation of Israel’s attacks while voicing support for international efforts in ending them.