Tehran, Doha on Course for Stronger Relations

Rising tensions in the region occasioned a visit by the Qatari emir to Iran, during which the two sides stressed the need for increased cooperation in various sectors, including trade, politics, tourism, security and development projects.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials in Tehran on Sunday, IRNA reported.
The emir’s one-day trip to Tehran indicates an opening for greater economic, agricultural and industrial collaborations for Tehran and Doha, on a par with their warm political relations.
Sheikh Tamim’s first visit to Tehran since becoming emir in 2013 came amid growing escalations between Iran and the US after the tit-for-tat military measures that ratcheted up with the US assassination of top Iranian general, Qasem Soeimani, in Baghdad on Jan. 3 on the order of US President Donald Trump and Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks on two bases housing American troops in Iraq. 
In addition to urging restraint and dialogue to clear the tense situation in the Middle East, the Qatari ruler discussed historical relations between the two nations, underlining Iran’s support after Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a trade and transport boycott on Qatar in mid-2017.