Qatar will keep mediating with all parties to spare the region another round of escalation, His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said, insisting that dialogue is the path to lasting security for all.
Speaking at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, in a lecture titled “Thriving in a Fractured World: Small States and the New Geography of Global Impact”, the prime minister argued that small states with strong economic foundations are directly exposed to global instability, and that this gives them a duty to act.
Qatar has not stood idly by in the face of crises. For nearly two decades, it has engaged in mediation and peacemaking, driven by a firm conviction that protecting human lives comes first.
The prime minister recalled His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s affirmation that mediation is worth pursuing even if it takes a year, provided it saves a single human life. That conviction guides Qatar despite the difficulties and campaigns directed against its efforts.
He said the recent regional conflict, and acts of aggression against Qatar, had underscored the need for nations like Qatar. Qatar acted despite challenging circumstances, making a substantial contribution to the first round of negotiations that produced a memorandum of understanding and helped spare the region widespread chaos at a time of high escalation risk.
Challenges in implementing the memorandum had not halted Qatar’s efforts. Working with regional partners, Qatar intensified its work to prevent a new wave of escalation, with its delegation visiting Tehran five times in a single week, in meetings some lasting 18 to 20 hours. He stressed that these efforts do not mean risks have been removed or security achieved; contacts with the relevant parties have not ceased and will continue.
On the United States and Iran, he said collaboration with US administration officials and voices of reason in Tehran had kept the situation from spiralling out of control. The memorandum’s conclusion, he noted, proves progress is possible and a final settlement achievable, despite complex talks. Progress must be built on rather than delayed for an ideal deal.
He warned that another round of military operations would resolve nothing, and that the region cannot withstand further escalation, having already seen its peoples, Iranian included, pay a heavy price for past confrontations. The priorities, he said, are the nuclear dossier and freedom of navigation and security in the Gulf.
Gulf security requires dialogue between Gulf states and Iran to build a framework that guarantees everyone’s safety and addresses their concerns, with Iran’s concerns and the Gulf states’ core security concerns tackled together. His communications with regional foreign ministers, he added, reflect a shared message on the urgent need to end the conflict.
On Gaza, he affirmed that the Palestinian cause remains central to unresolved political issues. The region has lacked stability since 7 October, a period of war and expanding fronts, and mediation has faced repeated setbacks due to Israel’s government positions, its continuous alteration of realities on the ground and escalating demands.
Agreements that ignore withdrawal, Gazans’ right to a normal life and Palestinian statehood, he warned, leave the door open to renewed escalation. Despite a ceasefire, blockade, killings and targeting continue, with more than a thousand killed since its announcement. In practice, only a hostage-release deal has been achieved; a genuine ceasefire needs an end to hostilities, withdrawal and a credible political horizon.
On Lebanon, he noted shelling continues despite a ceasefire agreement, occupation persists with no withdrawal timeline, and restrictions hinder Lebanese Armed Forces operations in the south. Acting with impunity and disregarding international law, he said, exposes the whole region to persistent danger.
He reaffirmed dialogue as the basis of sustainable regional security, recalling HH the Amir’s 2015 call before the UN General Assembly for serious dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran on the root causes of their differences.
Security arrangements, he explained, cannot rest on promises alone. They need concrete steps and guarantees against aggression or threats of force, followed by trust-building and expanded common interests. He also highlighted considerable potential for economic cooperation between Gulf states and Iran once the nuclear dossier is resolved.
Any comprehensive regional vision, he emphasised, must resolve the Palestinian question and establish a Palestinian state, so no party poses a threat to another. Alliances formed in response to threats, he noted, should not become a source of polarisation; shared interests and bold leadership offer the region a better future.
He reviewed Qatar’s economic and diplomatic development, noting that its 1995 gas-sector investment laid the foundation for its role in global energy supplies. Its engagement has built mediation expertise and trust without seeking hegemony over others. Qatar has institutionalised that experience with like-minded partners; in 2025 it engaged in roughly 16 mediation files, including prisoner exchanges, ceasefires and wider peace initiatives.
He cited cooperation with Norway and Switzerland on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, with Spain and Norway on Colombia, and Norwegian-Qatari teamwork in Afghanistan. Integrating diverse expertise, despite differing political systems and economic models, produces tangible results.
Such cooperation, he affirmed, can extend to investment and energy, helping spread prosperity, bolster regional stability and secure the future of its peoples, while making a positive contribution to the world.
