Trade between Doha and Tehran in the first nine months of 2024 alone reached $265m (around QAR 970m).
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is visiting Iran on Wednesday, where he will be meeting President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.
“The visit will focus on discussing bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields, in addition to exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Amiri Diwan said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sheikh Tamim will be accompanied by an official delegation that includes Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Amiri Diwan added.
The Amir’s latest visit comes amid increased engagement between Doha and Tehran.
Sheikh Mohammed was in Tehran last November, October and August, where discussions with Iranian officials centred on regional developments, particularly Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip and aggression in Lebanon at the time.
President Pezeshkian was also in Doha last October where he met with Sheikh Tamim amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. Pezeshkian’s arrival at the time came a day after Iran retaliated against Israel by firing a barrage of missiles towards occupied territories.
This came months after Israel assassinated former Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31. Israel then assassinated Hezbollah Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, barely two months later in Beirut.
Since the onset of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, Iranian-backed and aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq—collectively known as the “axis of resistance”—have mobilised in response to the assault on the besieged enclave.
On January 15, mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States reached a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel following more than a year of stalled negotiations.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 61,709 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with thousands others still missing under the rubble.
Iran’s semi-official news agency, Mehr, reported on Wednesday that Gaza will be at the top of the agenda of discussions between Iran and Qatar during Sheikh Tamim’s visit.
Bilateral Relations
Diplomacy aside, Qatar and Iran share key bilateral relations especially in the field of economy.
Trade between Doha and Tehran in the first nine months of 2024 alone reached $265m (around QAR 970m), marking a 53 percent increase in comparison to the same period in the previous year, according to Iranian government figures.
On the sidelines of last October’s meeting between Sheikh Tamim and Pezeshkian, Doha and Tehran signed a joint declaration on enhancing cultural cooperation.
Both countries also signed three executive programmes, with one focusing on cultural and technical cooperation for the years 2024 to 2026.
The second extended an educational and scientific cooperation agreement through 2027, and the third addressed youth and sports initiatives for 2025 and 2026.
Additionally, Qatar and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding over the development project of Port of Dayyer in the Islamic Republic, a move that could boost both countries’ economic relations.
