Qatar’s Defense Minister, Saud bin Abdulrraman al Thani, expressed this Saturday openness to the possibility that the maritime toll that Iran has established in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel could be provisional as long as the revenue is intended for demining this strategic passage, which is currently littered with explosives.
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Qatar is one of the countries affected by the Iranian regional counterattacks on military bases in the Persian Gulf but from the beginning of the conflict has advocated the urgent need to reach some kind of agreement with Iran given the enormous economic impact represented by the closure of the passage; a stance that has caused friction with the United States because the Trump Administration demands the unconditional reopening of the strait.
Al Thani, however, explained during his speech at the Shangri-La international defense forum in Singapore that “the Iranians sometimes say they will use the money to clear mines from the strait or that the toll will be temporary, and we see that as negotiable” before insisting, however, that his country is radically opposed to a permanent toll.
“Qatar and its Gulf partners have made it clear that imposing a toll will always affect the consumer, so we are against this position”, he added before finally calling for the need to “clarify the strategy and adopt an approach towards Iran without hiding anything.”
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The Defense Minister’s comments reveal once again the disagreements between the United States and the countries of the region over the situation in Hormuz. According to Tehran, Iranian authorities began negotiating at one point with Oman, a country that shares the strait, some kind of arrangement. Trump’s response was swift: any negotiation with Iran would make Oman an enemy of Washington.
The Omani ambassador to the United States ended up assuring the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, that there are no plans to collaborate with Tehran in this regard.
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