Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed regret to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the attack on a US military base in the emirate yesterday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Pezeshkian explained to the Qatari Emir that Iran's goal was to respond to US airstrikes on its territory, the Qatari Prime Minister said at a joint press conference in Doha with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam.
The Iranian president said Qatar was not targeted in the attack, which he called an act of "legitimate defense," Agence France-Presse reported.
However, the Qatari Prime Minister the attack as unacceptable.
According to a source close to the negotiations, it was Qatar that convinced Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Israel, AFP notes.
Iran thanked Qatar for its "constructive role" and promised to continue working to develop bilateral relations, according to a message quoted by Reuters.
At a press conference in Doha, Al Thani called on the United States and Iran to resume talks on Iran's nuclear program. The Qatari prime minister also called on Israel not to take advantage of the ceasefire with Iran to continue bombing the Gaza Strip.
Twenty-nine people were killed, according to the latest figures from local health authorities, in suspected Israeli shelling of people waiting for humanitarian aid in the Palestinian territory today.
The UN condemned the use of food as a weapon in Gaza and described as an abomination the entrustment of the distribution of humanitarian aid to a foundation supported by the US and Israel, AFP also reported.