Iran’s top diplomat met his Qatari counterpart on Thursday (August 27, 2026) in Tehran for talks on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as a U.S. naval blockade squeezes oil supplies to Iran amid a domestic shortfall.
The visit by Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani follows a week of intense diplomacy in Iran involving separate meetings with Oman’s top diplomat and senior Pakistani officials seeking ways to end the West Asia war and reopen Hormuz. Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s Prime Minister, had met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, without providing details. Mr. In recent days, many Iranians have been seen queueing outside petrol stations.
On Wednesday (August 26, 2026), Iran’s Vice-President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said the blockade had prevented his country from importing enough petrol to cover a shortfall in domestic production.
Iranian state television said Mr. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said they discussed de-escalation efforts as well as the proposed framework for Hormuz between Iran and Oman. Al Thani “emphasised the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring states and freedom of navigation”, and pursuing dialogue, the Ministry said. Presidential chief of staff Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei meanwhile said petrol quotas would be reviewed, without elaborating. “The country is in an all-out economic war,” said Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a statement carried by local media.
“We will see that the government… will defeat the enemy on this ground as well,” he added.
