Qatar denies breaking off communications with Iran

PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari stated that Qatar did not cut off communication channels with Iran, but since the start of the latest escalation related to Iran, there has only been one phone call between the two countries' highest diplomats.

"Communication channels with Iran are not interrupted, but at this time we are focusing on de-escalation efforts," Al-Ansari said at a press conference reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, March 10.

Since February 28, he added, there has only been one telephone conversation between the two countries' foreign ministers.

Although Qatar has previously served as a mediator between Iran and the United States, Al-AnsarimengatakanQatar can no longer play that role because it must focus on efforts to fend off Iranian attacks on its territory.

Iran has launched attacks on Israeli territory and US military targets in the Middle East, in response to a joint military operation launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

On the first day of the military operation, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported dead and a girls' school in southern Iran was bombed. Iran said the death toll had exceeded 1,200.