Trump appeals for Qatar's help in persuading Iran to give up its nuclear programme

DOHA: President Donald Trump urged Qatar on Wednesday to use its influence over Iran to persuade the country's leadership to reach an agreement with the US to dial back its rapidly advancing nuclear programme. Trump, who is visiting the Gulf nation as part of a three-country Mideast swing, made the appeal during a state dinner held in his honour by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar, over the years, has played the role of intermediary between the US and Iran and its proxies, including during talks with Tehran-backed Hamas as its 19-month war with Israel grinds on.

"I hope you can help me with the Iran situation," Trump said during remarks at the formal dinner. "It's a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing."

Trump wants Iran to stop backing militant proxy groups

The appeal to Qatar came after Trump told leaders at a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting earlier Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that he wants "to make a deal," but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the Mideast as part of any potential agreement.

The US and Iran brokered a nuclear deal in 2015, during Democrat Barack Obama's administration, in which Iran agreed to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and only enrich up to 3.67 per cent. But that deal was scrapped during the first Trump administration.

Today, Iran enriches up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, and has enough stockpiled for multiple nuclear bombs should it choose to build them.

The Qatari emir told Fox News Channel on Wednesday night that "we agree that we want a nuclear-free region, and we cannot afford a nuclear race in that region."

But, Al Thani said, "Iran has its right to have a nuclear - a civilian nuclear power, while not also representing any challenge or any threat for anyone in the region." He said the issue needs to be resolved diplomatically.

The US and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month about the country's nuclear programme. Trump has said that he believes brokering a nuclear deal is possible but that the window is closing.

At the state dinner, he called on Iran's leadership to "get moving" or risk the situation spiralling into a head-on conflict.

"Because things like that get started and they get out of control," Trump said. "I've seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we're not going to let that happen."

Trump, in his appearance at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, also said that Tehran "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons" as conditions for any deal.

The call for Iran to cease support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen comes as that proxy network has faced significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump's remarks "deceitful" but did not directly address his demands.

Trump said that he also believed the moment was ripe "for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists." Hezbollah is severely weakened after its war last year with Israel, in which much of its top leadership was killed and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.

While in Riyadh, Trump also met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a face-to-face engagement with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by US forces after being captured in Iraq.

Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

Trump said he decided to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria.

The White House billed the al-Sharaa meeting as a brief "pull aside" that ended up lasting 33 minutes.

Trump told reporters that the meeting went "great" and described him as a "young, attractive guy" with a "very strong past."

"He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US -led invasion. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The US once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida.

Al-Sharaa returned to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al-Qaida's branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al-Qaida.

The sanctions go back to the rule of Bashar Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy.

In Qatar, Trump was greeted at the airport by Al Thani. Air Force One was escorted by Qatari F-15 jets as it neared Doha, the capital city.

The emir said he had high hopes for Trump's efforts with Iran and at ending the war in Gaza.

"I know that you are a man of peace," he said. "I know that you want to bring peace to this region."