Those two leading Gulf Arab powers, which sought for years to isolate Qatar, have seen their own relations with Washington strained in recent years, partly over concerns about U.S. security commitments to its Gulf Arab partners.
On Monday Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Talks focused on lifting barriers to completing the Iran nuclear deal, a source with knowledge of the Iran talks told Reuters. After the meeting Lavrov stepped back from earlier demands that had stalled negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal.“It does appear that Qatar has played a role in discussions on the edges of the Iran talks. How direct and how consequential that role is open to question,” said Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar.
Among the world’s largest producers of liquified natural gas , Qatar is one of the wealthiest nations per capita and is home to barely three million people, 85% of them foreign workers. “Now, whenever there is an opportunity, just goes for it. They’re marketing themselves as an extension of U.S. foreign and security policy in a way that no other Gulf country is doing,” said Andreas Krieg a professor at King’s College in London.When Qatar decided to hike LNG production by 2027, some questioned how Qatar would find customers.