STANDARDDIPLOMATICVERIFIED

Qatar Emir calls Iraq PM, urges 'immediate halt' to Iranian attacks on neighbours

2026-03-25 · 21:24 UTC·Doha, Qatar / Baghdad, Iraq

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called Iraq PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani urging an 'immediate halt' to Iranian attacks during an ongoing war. The call uses Iraq as a conduit to pressure Iran — notable given Qatar hosts the US Al Udeid Air Base while simultaneously maintaining diplomatic relations with Tehran.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on March 25, calling for an 'immediate halt' to Iranian attacks and discussing the need to de-escalate tensions. The call is diplomatically significant on multiple levels: Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base — the largest US military installation in the Middle East and a key hub for Operation Epic Fury — yet maintains working diplomatic relations with Iran and does not support the war. By calling Iraq PM al-Sudani rather than Iranian officials directly, Qatar is using Iraq as a relay to convey a message to Tehran: the Gulf Arab states (even those not formally aligned with the US campaign) want the Iranian attacks to stop. Iraq has complex dual obligations: al-Sudani's government hosts IRGC-linked PMF forces that struck US bases 23 times on Day 26, yet also seeks to maintain sovereignty and non-belligerent status. The Qatar-Iraq call joins a growing chorus of regional voices urging Iran to halt attacks: Gulf states UNHRC statement (existential threat), Bahrain nationwide sirens, Saudi intercepts of 11 drones, Kuwait three summons of Iran envoy. Qatar's soft-power intervention through Baghdad is consistent with its historical role as a conflict mediator — the same posture it held in Gaza 2023-24.

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Actor responses

IranNEUTRALDIPLOMATIC

Qatar Emir uses Iraq channel to urge halt to Iranian attacks. Iran has not responded publicly to Qatar's call. Iraq PM al-Sudani is Iran's most reliable regional interlocutor — the message will reach Tehran.

United StatesNEUTRALDIPLOMATIC

Qatar hosts Al Udeid (CENTCOM forward HQ, 50,000 troops hub). Qatar Emir calling Iraq PM signals Gulf states increasingly uncomfortable with Iranian attack escalation affecting regional stability — aligns with US interest in isolating Iran diplomatically.

Sources

T1Qatar Emir office statement / Times Now liveblog9% reliability