The visit comes days after Doha’s foreign minister travelled to Washington.
The US Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Christopher Landberg is travelling to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week, Washington’s state department said in a statement on Friday.
“In Qatar, he will lead a US delegation as part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue to engage with senior Qatari officials to discuss counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation across a broad range of issues,” the statement said.
Some of the issues on the agenda include “the global campaign to defeat ISIS and combating the financing of terrorism”.
In Saudi Arabia, the official will participate in the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Counterterrorism Working Group meetings between 13-16 February.
“The three Working Group meetings will focus on three priority sets: Integrated Air and Missile Defense and Maritime Security, Iran, and Counterterrorism,” the statement added.
The delegation also includes Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs Daniel Benaim, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul.
However, the statement did not confirm whether Malley is part of the delegation headed to Qatar.
The Gulf state hosts the Al-Udeid Airbase, the largest American military post in the Middle East, which is used extensively by the US for its operations in the region.
Last year, the US also named Qatar as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) in a move that analysts say reflects the strengthening ties between the two countries.
Nuclear deal revival
Landberg’s visit to Doha comes just days after Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with top US officials in Washington.
During his visit, Sheikh Mohammed discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the latest relief operations in Turkey and northern Syria following the deadly earthquakes.
“I would just note today among so many other things Qatar’s incredible generosity when it comes to trying to help those suffering terribly in Turkey and northern Syria from the devastating earthquake,” Blinken said.
Blinken and Sheikh Mohammed also discussed developments in Palestine and Afghanistan in addition to talks on the 2015 nuclear deal.
The revival of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was also discussed in the meeting between Sheikh Mohammed and Malley.
“Both sides discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the nuclear agreement talks, in addition to a number of issues of common interest,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Indirect talks in Vienna first began in April 2021 following the inauguration of the US Joe Biden administration at the White House.
His predecessor, former president Donald Trump, had unilaterally stepped out of the deal in 2018 as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
Heavyweight mediator Qatar also stepped in last year by hosting a round of talks between the parties. However, those talks yielded no results and the US and Iran continued to exchange blame over their willingness to return to the accord.
Qatar, which has long called for the JCPOA’s revival, has appeared to break the latest stalemate in talks by holding numerous discussions with the US and Iran.
Last month, Sheikh Mohammed met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, where the former delivered a message from parties involved in the nuclear talks.
Apart from the nuclear deal, Qatar has called for the need for dialogue between the GCC and Iran.
Speaking to Bloomberg in 2021, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani “urged” regional players to engage in dialogue with Iran, adding that it was the “right time” for Doha to broker the negotiations.
