Less then a day after Hillary Clinton, speaking in Doha, warned that Iran was descending into military dictatorship and sought to rally Gulf Arab states around greater pressure on Tehran, two Iranian warships have docked at a Qatari port, according to Press TV. The Iranian navy’s visit to Qatar is part of deepening military ties between the two states, and comes just two weeks after the U.S. announced it would be deploying several new Patriot missile batteries to GCC states, including Qatar, to protect against Iranian missiles.
David Roberts at The Gulf Blog has been tracking other recent Iran-Qatar deals that include cooperation on energy, tourism and defense, that were signed on Qatari Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s first visit to Tehran earlier in February.
The warship episode is further evidence of Qatar’s savvy foreign policy of pursuing warm bilateral relations with the powers that be in the Gulf. These ties could position Doha to act as a much-needed interlocutor and translator between Washington and Tehran. -WW (Hat Tip Uskowi on Iran)
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