Tested by Iran war, Qatar is still faithful to its core mission: Mediation

The U.S.-Israel war against Iran, which has consumed the Persian Gulf and the surrounding region, and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz have strangled Qatar’s gas exports. Yet Qataris say their energy-rich country’s other lifeblood is still flowing strong.

From Russia and Ukraine, to the United States and Iran, to Africa, the tiny Gulf peninsula country is brokering peace – even while under attack.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, “was very clear when he said Qatar will be an ‘energy provider and peace facilitator,’” says Majed al-Ansari, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson and special adviser to the Qatari prime minister.

“It is an identity issue for us, a national pride for us as a country,” he says.

In an age where mediators are increasingly targets, Qatar is doubling down on its mission – albeit with an increased focus on its security needs – even in U.S.-Iran talks that have dragged it into a war it has worked so hard to stop.

The small maritime state has long advocated dialogue and mediation to ensure the stability and peace of the region – and by extension, its own national security.

By maintaining ties with all, Doha has transformed what officials describe as a “curse of geography” into what they see as a strength, creating a quiet yet pivotal mediator of disputes around the globe.

“We will never regret to be a mediator”

At the Pathway to Peace, an exhibition and mediation museum near the Qatari Foreign Ministry in central Doha, plaques list dozens of Qatar-led mediations over the past eight decades. Among them are: Algeria-France in 1962; Darfur from 2002-2013; U.S.-Taliban in 2020; prisoner exchanges between the United States and Iran in 2022-2023; and the 2025 Israel-Hamas Gaza ceasefire and hostage release.

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