Qatar says Iran needs to show good intentions for mediation efforts to succeed

Iran needs to show good intentions for mediation efforts to succeed, mediator Qatar said on Tuesday, after a delegation from the Gulf Arab country visited Tehran earlier this week in an effort to de-escalate regional tensions in coordination with the United States. A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry told a press briefing that Iran should stop threats against Arab Gulf states and open the Strait of Hormuz to show good intentions. Qatar, along with Pakistan, has been mediating between Washington and Tehran in an effort to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies, and spilled over across other parts of the Middle East. Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan also met Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in an effort to de-escalate the conflict, as Yemen’s Houthis launched new attacks on Saudi Arabia and Egypt approved defence support for the Gulf kingdom. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened recently, with President Donald Trump saying on Friday the US may strike Iran again. Iranian security officials told Reuters Tehran had drawn up detailed plans to attack Gulf undersea cables if the US and Israel attack again.