DUBAI(National Times)- The prime minister of Qatar visited Tehran on Thursday in a bid to revive diplomatic channels, as the US and Iran traded recriminations over Washington\u2019s latest sanctions drive, described by one Iranian official as \u201call-out economic war\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar has served as a back-channel negotiator for the warring parties and played a direct role in securing a June ceasefire that briefly led to a cessation of hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also his country\u2019s foreign minister, held talks in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iran\u2019s foreign ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two discussed a proposed phased framework that includes establishing a temporary joint Iranian-Omani shipping corridor through the strait and carrying out a joint project to clear mines from the waterway, Qatar\u2019s foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two officials also reviewed the latest developments in the region and efforts to de-escalate tensions and create conditions for dialogue, the Qatari ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visit came even as the White House maintained there were currently no negotiations happening between the US and Iran, as Tehran had not yet \u201ccome to the table in a meaningful way\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran has repeatedly said it has never left the negotiating table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that President Donald Trump \u201ccontinues to retain all options on the table\u201d with regard to Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf called on Thursday for national unity in the face of what he described as \u201call-out economic war\u201d, warning that internal division was \u201cexactly what the enemy wants\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament\u2019s national security committee, said the sanctions were an \u201cinhumane and hostile act\u201d which nonetheless had lost their effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tehran has lived under various forms of US sanctions since the Islamic revolution in 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday, the IRGC said that Iran and Oman had agreed on how to share the Strait of Hormuz and its revenues, but a senior Iranian source later said the two countries were still working on the details of an agreement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DUBAI(National Times)- The prime minister of Qatar visited Tehran on Thursday in a bid to revive diplomatic channels, as the US and Iran traded recriminations over Washington\u2019s latest sanctions drive, described by one Iranian official as \u201call-out economic war\u201d. Qatar has served as a back-channel negotiator for the warring parties and played a direct role […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n