DUBAI: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Qatar on Wednesday for bilateral discussions and a summit aimed at garnering support from Asian nations to address what he termed “Israeli crimes” in the Middle East.
This marks Pezeshkian’s maiden visit to Qatar as president. Upon arrival, he criticized Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which Iran attributes to Israeli actions on July 31, a claim Israel has neither confirmed nor denied.
The situation escalated following Haniyeh’s death, with Israel subsequently assassinating Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and launching a limited military operation in the region. In retaliation, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel on Tuesday.
“We desire security and peace, but it was Israel that assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran,” Pezeshkian stated, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network.
He expressed frustration over European and American assurances of peace in Gaza, noting, “We waited for them to act, but they only escalated the killings.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israel will retaliate against Iran’s missile attack, asserting, “If the Zionist regime does not stop its crimes, it will face harsher reactions,” according to Iranian state media.
During his visit to Doha, Pezeshkian aims to strengthen bilateral ties and sign agreements with the Qatari government, as well as participate in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit. He emphasized the importance of discussing ways for Asian nations to collaborate in preventing Israeli actions in the region and mitigating unrest.
Qatar has been actively involved in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, though negotiations have faced significant challenges.
