US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he hopes Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani can help broker a nuclear agreement with Iran as negotiations continue amid what Trump described as a “perilous situation.”
Addressing al-Thani during a state dinner in Doha, Trump said he hopes “you can help me with the Iran situation, because it’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing,” lauding the Qatari leader for assistance he has been providing as Trump seeks to broker a new pact.
“I hope the Iranian leaders understand that what you’re doing, really what you’re doing for them is a big favor, your prime minister, your great leader, right here on my left has been helping so much, and they respect them, and they listen to them. They have to get moving. We both understand. They have to make that decision. Is their decision,” Trump said at a state dinner in Doha hosted by the Qatari emir.
“I just hope Iran realizes what a good friend they have right here. And in a certain sense, I guess I’m a good friend, because a lot of people would rather have me take a much more harsh road. But I know that if we can avoid that road, that would be a great thing. I’d like to do that,” he added.
The negotiations between Iran and the US, primarily focused on Iran’s nuclear program, started last month with Omani mediation amid an escalation of tensions.
A fourth round of negotiations concluded Sunday in Muscat, and Trump continued to warn that time is of the essence as he said an agreement would “save maybe millions of lives.”
The ongoing talks seek to reach a deal that would replace the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, that was reached in 2015.
The US, under Trump, walked out of the multilateral deal in May 2018, which led to a dramatic escalation of tensions between Iran and the US. Trump sought to pressure Iran to return to negotiations over a new accord during his first term as he imposed what he called a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran.
The efforts failed to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, however, and Iran retaliated by taking steps away from its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA after it said the deal’s Western signatories failed to protect its economic interests under the agreement.