Qatar calls for Gulf talks with Iran

Qatar has called for Gulf Arab countries to hold talks with Iran, the foreign minister said in an interview aired yesterday, after Doha reconciled with its neighbours following a rift. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who has previously called for dialogue with Iran, told Bloomberg TV he was "hopeful that this would happen and we still believe this should happen". "This is also a desire that's shared by other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries," he said. It comes weeks after GCC hawks Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE re-established ties with Qatar after breaking them off in June 2017 partly over allegations that Qatar was too close to Iran. Doha maintains cordial relations with Tehran.