President Biden Hosts The Emir Of Qatar As Iran Looms Large On the Agenda

(New York, N.Y.) — On Monday, President Joe Biden will welcome the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to the White House for their first official visit with each other as heads of state. Their meeting will come just days after Qatar’s foreign minister visited his counterpart in Tehran. It is expected that Iran’s nuclear program will be on the agenda during the bilateral talks. Qatar has been advocating for the restoration of the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Qatar, which shares gas fields with the Islamic Republic and hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, is in a unique position given the double game it plays—courting Washington while also holding warm ties with Tehran. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s resource Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council highlights how the Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) can play a leading role in confronting Iran’s aggression. 

The GCC – a regional political, economic, and security alliance between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman – was formed out of concern over the Islamic Republic’s expansionist goals. Since 1981, the GCC has been principally aligned with Washington as its major-power patron, and has relied on the U.S. for major arms sales and informal security commitments. 

Also potentially on the Emir’s agenda is an Iranian request to help Tehran win concessions from the U.S. and Europe for the release of foreign and dual-national hostages held by Iran. Whether the Emir will use his time with President Biden to advocate for the Iranians is likely to be influenced by recent statements from U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley that “it is very hard for [the Biden Administration] to imagine getting back into the nuclear deal while four innocent Americans are being held hostage by Iran” after his meetings with UANI Senior Advisor and survivor of the Iran hostage crisis Barry Rosen in Vienna. 

To read UANI’s resource Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council, please click here. 

To read UANI’s resource American and Western Hostages, please click here. 

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