Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani reiterated the need to settle the crises in the region through talks and without foreign interference.
In a meeting with Ali bin Hamad al-Sulaiti, Qatar’s outgoing ambassador to Tehran on Sunday, Larijani denounced the blockade on the tiny neighboring Arab emirate by Saudi Arabia and its allies, stressing that “all regional issues must be resolved through dialogue and consultation,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
“Powers from outside the region should not be allowed to interfere and hatch plots against governments and nations (of the region),” the lawmaker said.
For his part, the Qatari diplomat commended Iran for supporting his country under Saudi sanctions and blockade, expressing optimism about the future of Tehran-Doha ties.
The incoming ambassador will also strive to help promote ties in key political and economic domains, he said.
Sulaiti served as ambassador from 2013 and will hand over the reins to Mohammad Sa’d al-Fahid al-Hajari.
In August 2017, Doha decided to send its ambassador back to Tehran after a 20-month hiatus that started with Doha pulling out its envoy in an act of solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
Qatar’s pivot back to Tehran came after Riyadh led an Arab push to pressure and isolate Qatar over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its relations with Iran.
The diplomatic crisis, the worst since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and the subsequent Persian Gulf war, has seen some Arab nations cut ties to Qatar, which is home to a key US military base and will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Doha has been receiving fresh food and other supplies from Iran and Turkey. Tehran has also allowed Qatar’s national carrier to use its airspace after the Arab regimes banned commercial flights from and to Doha to use their airspace.
