Doha and London are mediating a prisoner exchange between Washington and Tehran.

Qatar and the United Kingdom discussed the 2015 nuclear deal as well as other issues of concern on Monday, during a meeting between foreign ministers of both countries.

Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and his counterpart James Cleverly held talks during a meeting in London, a Qatar foreign ministry statement read.

Qatar and the UK also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish strategic dialogue between the two countries.

“They discussed bilateral cooperation relations and ways to support and develop them, in addition to regional and international developments, particularly the humanitarian situation in Turkey and Syria after the earthquake,” the statement added.

On 6 February, two deadly earthquakes struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 47,000 people. Then on Monday, the area was hit with 6.3 and 5.8 quakes, killing at least three people and triggering panic among survivors.

The two officials in London also discussed the Russian war on Ukraine, which has persisted for almost a year. The conflict forced Europe to seek alternative gas supply to scrap its reliance on Moscow.

The region had previously received 40% of its gas supplies from Russia, with almost a third of shipments passing through Ukraine.

Stalled nuclear talks

The Iran nuclear deal has remained a common issue of concern between both countries amid stalled efforts to revive the accord,  formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Talks aimed at restoring the accord were launched in 2021 in Vienna with the participation of the p4+1— France, Russia, the UK, China, plus Germany.

However, the United States and Iran have yet to reach a deal despite hopeful statements that emerged late last year, pointing to parties nearing an agreement. 

Talks have also stalled amid ongoing tensions between both countries.

On Monday, the UK slapped fresh sanctions on numerous members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Three other senior judges were also sanctioned for ordering death penalties on protestors in Iran.

“It follows the decision at the weekend by Iran International, a London-based TV network, to suspend UK operations as a result of continued threats to its staff by the Iranian regime,” the UK government said in a statement.

Sanctions relief has been Iran’s main demand throughout the talks as western powers cited concern over the rights situation in Tehran.

Qatar, which has long called for the restoration of the JCPOA, also hosted a round of talks last year though they yielded no results.

More recently, Qatar has appeared to increase its efforts in breaking the latest stalemate in talks by holding numerous discussions with the US and Iran.

Qatar and the UK are mediating a prisoner exchange between the Washington and Tehran, a move welcomed by the Islamic Republic on Monday.