Qatar sends negotiators to Tehran to help end Iran war

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with the United States, seeking to secure a final agreement that would end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding disputes, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Qatar's return as a back-channel mediator — despite Iranian strikes that wiped out roughly 17 percent of its liquefied natural gas export capacity — signals renewed diplomatic momentum to end a conflict that has sealed the Strait of Hormuz and disrupted energy supply chains critical to South Korea and other Asian LNG importers.

The team was deployed "to reach a final deal that would end the war and address outstanding issues with Iran," a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, according to Korea Times. The visit marked a notable shift for Qatar, which had previously scaled back its mediating role following Iranian missile and drone attacks that destroyed roughly 17 percent of its LNG export capacity.

Despite that damage, Qatar re-entered the process. The Gulf state is a designated major non-NATO ally of the United States and hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East — a combination that gives Doha rare leverage between Washington and Tehran.

Pakistan has served as the primary official mediator since fighting began Feb. 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged Friday that "Pakistan was the primary interlocutor in the Iran talks and they had done an admirable job," Korea Times reported.

Two core disputes have stalled negotiations: Iran's uranium enrichment program and Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of global LNG trade flowed before the conflict. Iran has effectively closed the strait and blockaded its own ports, squeezing energy markets worldwide and striking particularly hard at South Korea and other Asian economies that depend heavily on Middle Eastern gas.

A shaky ceasefire has held since Feb. 28, but a permanent agreement remains elusive. Rubio offered cautious hope Thursday. "There's some good signs. I don't want to be overly optimistic ... So, let's see what happens over the next few days," he said.

Qatar's re-engagement underscores the Gulf state's enduring role as a bridge between Washington and Tehran — even as the cost of that position, measured in shattered energy infrastructure, continues to mount.