US President Donald Trump spoke with Qatar’s leader by phone about efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, part of a flurry of recent diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewal of all out war with Iran .
Rezaee delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei addressed to Putin, Iran’s state-run IRIB reported, without giving more details.
Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, according to a statement on Russia’s presidential website. The US leader and Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed Qatar’s efforts to resolve the differences between the sides and secure a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict, the emir’s office said on Friday.
Qatar is acting as the chief mediator between Washington and Tehran during a period of intense diplomatic activity to try to end the war, which is now into its ninth month.
Earlier reporting noted: Sheikh Tamim received a call from Trump, according to his office the Amiri Diwan, during which the pair discussed “diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region” undertaken by mediator Qatar. Earlier reporting noted: The Emir “emphasized the importance of continuing dialogue and relying on diplomatic means to settle disputes and prevent further escalation,” the statement read. Qatari officials had been shuttling back and forth between Doha and the Iranian capital to solidify a potential deal in the run up to the US midterm elections on Tuesday, which saw the Democrats take control of Congress in a landslide win over Trump’s Republican party. Earlier reporting noted: US President Donald Trump on Friday called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss efforts to end the US-Iran war, amid a diplomatic push to avoid a new round of conflict.
Brent crude has plunged below $100 for the first time since September as investors wager that the Democratic sweep eases the prospect of a return to all-out fighting, which Trump had repeatedly threatened before the vote.
In the aftermath of the vote, Trump said he had no immediate plans to launch strikes on Iran, sending oil prices lower.
