Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani has described Iran’s strikes on Gulf countries as a “dangerous miscalculation” – warning the escalation risks destabilising the region and sending shockwaves through the global economy.
Speaking to the media for the first time since Qatar has come under repeated missile and drone attacks, the prime minister told Sky News that the country had entered what he called “a very difficult period” – but praised the professionalism of its defence and security forces.
For a man who has mediated some of the world’s most complex crises, what stood out to me was how angry he was about Iran’s actions.
“It is a big sense of betrayal,” he told me. “Just an hour after the start of the war, Qatar and other Gulf countries have been attacked. We made clear that we were not going to take part in any wars against our neighbours.”
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For a country that has long kept diplomatic channels open with Tehran – even during the most volatile moments – the tone was striking.
Qatar has traditionally positioned itself as a global mediator, able to speak to everyone. That relationship with Tehran now appears strained.
“All the attacks on the Gulf countries – we never expected this from our neighbour,” he said. “We have always tried to preserve a good relationship with Iran, but the justifications and pretexts they are using are completely rejected.”
Yet even as he condemned the strikes, the prime minister repeatedly stressed that military escalation would only deepen the crisis – and that the responsibility to step back lies with all sides.
“We continue to seek de-escalation,” he said. “They are our neighbours – it’s our destiny.”
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His message was directed not only at Tehran. He also called on the US to reduce tensions, warning of the risk that the entire region slides into war.
Diplomacy, he argued, remains the only viable path out of the crisis.
“The miscalculation by the Iranians to attack Gulf countries has destroyed everything,” he said, but insisted the answer now must be renewed negotiations.
He also pushed back against claims that Iran’s strikes were aimed at military targets.
International airports, water utilities and gas infrastructure have all been in Tehran’s crosshairs.
The prime minister added: “25% of the attacks are targeting civilian facilities. What has this got to do with the war? What do they want to achieve?”
Over and over again, he returned to the global stakes – and that what happens in the Gulf won’t stay in the Gulf.
Qatar supplies roughly 20% of the world’s gas and is one of the planet’s largest fertiliser producers – meaning any sustained disruption would impact markets, food supplies and people worldwide.
Even as the Gulf states insist this is not their fight, however, they are an integral aspect of it.
And that, perhaps, is the central danger of this moment – a war that began between the US, Israel and Iran is now dragging in countries that want no part of it, but increasingly find themselves on its front lines.
