Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a visit to boost relations between the two countries and discuss regional developments.
The Emir’s visit coincides with heightened diplomatic activity in the Middle East to address issues such as the postwar administration and rebuilding of Gaza, the rehabilitation of Syria after the overthrow of the Assad regime, and ending the war in Ukraine.
At a press conference following talks with Mr Pezeshkian, Sheikh Tamim said they discussed “the difficult circumstances in the region and agreed that the best way to resolve conflicts is through constructive dialogue”.
“Dialogues and understandings support stability in the region and enhance the prosperity of its countries and peoples,” he said.
On Gaza, Sheikh Tamim stressed the need to adhere to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that ended 15 months of fighting, and the necessity for aid to flow into the enclave.
Qatar, with Egypt and the US, helped to mediate a halt to the war in Gaza. Attention has turned to a permanent end to the conflict and Gaza’s future, since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19.
On Syria, Sheikh Tamim stressed the need for a “comprehensive political process” after the ousting of Bashar Al Assad. He also said he had discussed areas of co-operation and the importance of exploring opportunities with the Iranian President.
Mr Pezeshkian said countries in the region could “work and co-operate to achieve stability and security”. “We stressed the unity of Syrian territory and the right of the Syrian people to self-determination,” he said.
He thanked Qatar for its efforts in mediating the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners. He called on Islamic countries to act together to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people and stop the crimes against them.
Sheikh Tamim also met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who described Qatar as a “friendly and brotherly country,” Iranian state media reported. Mr Khamenei also touched upon the $6 billion fund that was deposited in Qatari bank accounts as part of a prisoner exchange with the US in September, 2023. The money was frozen after the Hamas attack on Israel a month later.
Mr Khamenei said the main obstacle preventing Qatar’s government from returning the money to Tehran is the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, and his so-called maximum pressure policy against the country, IRNA said. Iran’s leader told Sheikh Tamim that Qatar shouldn’t pay attention to pressure from the US to withhold the revenue, it added.
Earlier, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying that Tehran and Doha were “engaged in important and key consultations about economic affairs” that would be discussed during the Emir’s visit. He said the two countries were in touch over regional developments, “specifically the issue of Palestine”.
Representatives of the six Arab Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan are expected to meet in Cairo this week to discuss plans for Gaza. These took a controversial turn after Mr Trump proposed that the US take over and develop the Palestinian enclave while neighbouring countries took in Gaza’s population of more than two million people.
The war has reordered the region’s politics and power balance, with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Iran itself weakening Tehran’s regional armed proxies and contributing to the overthrow of Mr Al Assad, an Iranian ally.
Iran also faces the prospect of increased US sanctions as Mr Trump seeks to return to his campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran after taking office for a second term in January.
Sheikh Tamim visited Tehran in March last year, while Mr Pezeshkian travelled to Doha in October, three months after his election.
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Company%20Profile
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
