‘We cannot wait for a perfect deal’: Qatar PM-FM on U.S.-Iran peace efforts

At the Oxford Union, Qatar’s PM-FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani urged continued U.S.-Iran diplomacy, saying a perfect deal should not delay peace.Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reaffirmed Doha’s commitment to mediating between the United States and Iran, stressing that efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement must continue despite the challenges facing negotiations.Speaking at the Oxford Union at the University of Oxford on Friday, Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar remained engaged with both sides and that there was still a willingness to find a solution to the ongoing conflict.“But I believe currently at least, and from our engagement with the U.S. administration right now, and even after the election, the intentions are still there,” Sheikh Mohammed said, stressing that waiting for an ideal agreement should not prevent negotiators from reaching one that could reduce tensions.“We will never have a perfect peace deal. But we cannot actually just wait for this moment of a perfect deal, and just avoid having a good deal.”ما يتم تداوله بشأن تصريحات معالي الشيخ @MBA_AlThani_ حول المفاوضات بين الولايات المتحدة وإيران، من ادعاءات تزعم فشل الطرفين في التوصل إلى اتفاق، عارٍ عن الصحة، ويشكل تحريفاً متعمداً لتصريحات معاليه كما يتضح في المقطع أدناه.ونرفض بشكل قاطع هذه المحاولات لتضليل الرأي العام وتقويض… pic.twitter.com/IsLNizkpHI— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 6, 2026 The remarks came during a speech titled Prosperity in a Fractured World: Small States and the New Geography of Global Influence, followed by a discussion moderated by Sir John Sawers.Sheikh Mohammed argued that mediation and peacemaking were not merely diplomatic choices for prosperous nations, but necessities for countries whose security and economic wellbeing depended on regional and global stability.He recalled Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s belief that mediation efforts were worth pursuing even if they took a year and succeeded in saving just one life, saying this principle continued to guide Qatar’s diplomatic approach despite the difficulties and criticism it faced.Qatar’s mediation efforts with the U.S. and IranThe Prime Minister revealed that Qatari officials had travelled to Tehran five times in a single week, holding lengthy discussions with Iranian counterparts in an effort to prevent another round of hostilities.Some meetings lasted between 18 and 20 hours, he said, as Doha worked alongside regional partners to find a way forward following difficulties in implementing an earlier memorandum of understanding (MOU).He said Qatar had played a significant role in the first round of negotiations that produced the MOU, helping avert wider regional turmoil at a time when the risk of escalation was particularly high.Sheikh Mohammed acknowledged that the risks of renewed escalation had not disappeared and that the region had not yet reached a point of safety, but said Qatar remained determined to keep diplomatic channels open.Addressing whether Democrats’ victory in the U.S. midterm elections could affect negotiations, the PM-FM said the results might influence future American policies but had not changed the administration’s willingness to pursue a diplomatic solution.He said Qatar had worked closely with U.S. officials over recent weeks who showed genuine intentions, alongside what he described as voices favouring a more measured approach in Tehran, which helped prevent the conflict from spiralling further out of control.He also stressed the importance of preventing hardline positions from obstructing diplomacy, arguing that the earlier MOU had demonstrated that progress was possible even when negotiations were difficult and political decisions remained challenging.While diplomatic activity had slowed in recent days, he maintained that Qatar’s engagement with the concerned parties would continue.“Actually, our engagement didn’t stop and will not stop,” he said.Another military escalation is not the answerThe PM-FM warned that renewed military operations would not resolve the outstanding disputes, particularly after the heavy toll previous hostilities had taken on countries across the region and the Iranian people.He identified Iran’s nuclear programme, freedom of maritime navigation and Gulf security as key issues requiring diplomatic solutions.Sheikh Mohammed stressed that any lasting regional security arrangement would need to address the concerns of both Iran and Gulf countries, rather than prioritising one side over the other.He called for dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iran to establish a security framework built on mutual guarantees, including commitments against aggression and the threat of force.He recalled Sheikh Tamim’s call at the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for serious dialogue between GCC states and Iran to address the underlying causes of their disputes and their mutual security concerns.Such arrangements, he argued, could not rest on promises alone but required concrete guarantees against aggression and threats of force, followed by confidence-building measures and the development of shared interests.He also pointed to the potential for greater economic cooperation between Iran and its Gulf neighbours once the nuclear issue is resolved.Any comprehensive regional security framework, he added, must also include a resolution of the Palestinian issue and the establishment of a Palestinian state, creating conditions in which no country poses a threat to another.He acknowledged that different security alliances in the region had emerged in response to existing threats, but argued that these arrangements should not deepen regional polarisation.Today at the Oxford Union, I stressed that states that turned their potential into strength and prosperity can also do more to make peace and bolster global stability, and that size no longer defines influence on the international stage as challenges and divisions grow. pic.twitter.com/ghQWuB9FEc— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) November 6, 2026 Why Qatar continues to mediateBeyond the immediate regional conflicts, Sheikh Mohammed reflected on how smaller countries could play a significant role in international diplomacy.“A country’s size is no longer a measure of its influence on the international stage amid the growing challenges and divisions in our world,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a post on X about his Oxford Union appearance.He said Qatar’s decision to invest in its gas sector in 1995 helped establish the economic foundations that later supported its growing international influence.As Qatar developed its energy partnerships, it also expanded its diplomatic relationships and mediation capabilities, building trust with different parties.He said Qatar had spent roughly two decades pursuing mediation and peace efforts, driven by a commitment to protecting lives rather than seeking dominance over other countries.The PM-FM said Qatar had participated in mediation efforts across approximately 16 files in 2025, including prisoner exchanges, ceasefire negotiations and broader peace initiatives.He also highlighted cooperation with countries including Norway, Switzerland and Spain on mediation efforts involving conflicts in Africa, Latin America and Afghanistan.These included cooperation with Norway and Switzerland on the conflict involving the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, with Spain and Norway on Colombia, and with Norwegian mediation teams on Afghanistan.Sheikh Mohammed said countries with different political systems and economic models could still work together to achieve tangible results, adding that such partnerships could extend beyond mediation into investment, energy and other areas of economic cooperation.He maintained that Qatar would continue using its diplomatic relationships to prevent further escalation, arguing that countries whose prosperity depends on global stability also have a responsibility to help preserve it.Gaza and Lebanon remain unresolvedTurning to Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed said the Palestinian issue remained central to the region’s instability.He said the region had experienced successive crises since 7 October, with mediation efforts repeatedly undermined by the Israeli government’s changing positions, actions on the ground and escalating demands.The PM-FM argued that the agreement had largely functioned as a hostage-release arrangement rather than a genuine ceasefire.He pointed to the continuing blockade, killings and attacks in Gaza despite the announced ceasefire, saying more than 1,000 people had been killed since it came into effect.He stressed that lasting peace would require an end to attacks, Israeli withdrawal and a clear political path towards the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood.Without addressing these fundamental issues, he warned, agreements would leave the door open to renewed escalation and further instability across the region.On Lebanon, Sheikh Mohammed raised similar concerns over continued bombardment despite an existing ceasefire agreement, as well as the absence of a timetable for withdrawal and restrictions affecting the Lebanese army’s operations in the south.He warned that disregarding international law and acting with impunity would leave the region vulnerable to repeated crises.Sheikh Mohammed concluded that sustainable peace required addressing the underlying causes of regional conflicts, rather than relying on temporary arrangements that left fundamental disputes unresolved.