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Is Qatar Aligning With Iran?

So says an article by Track Persia, a Platform run by dedicated analysts who spend much of their time researching the Middle East, who add, “Doha’s interference is similar to Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of several countries.”

Qatar’s interference by its positions on several regional issues is on record at various points in time, and contribute to the escalation of regional crises and deterioration of alliances with the other Gulf countries.

In regards to Palestinian, Doha supported the Hamas coup against the Palestinian Authority, and deepened the Palestinian division. “It has also highlighted its relations with Israel, although the latter considered Hamas as a terrorist organization,” says Track Persia.

In the Syrian crisis, the support of Qatar was evident — it helped extremist organizations like al-Nusra front (currently known as Jafash) with money, weapons and media exposure. Qatar went against the moderate opposition in Syria by doing this.

Qatar’s support for al-Nusra Front makes Doha’s role unclear as a mediator three years ago between al-Nusra and Hezbollah in the liberation of Lebanese soldiers.

The Emir of Qatar described Hezbollah as a “resistance movement”, which went against the Gulf’s classification of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Track Persia says, “Moreover, Qatar did not hide its support for the Muslim Brotherhood. It welcomed its fugitive members and took a public stance against the Egyptian government that came into power after overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood.” They add that, Qatar is also playing a contradictory role in Yemen, in terms of its participation in the operation Decisive Storm and supporting the legitimate government in public, while at the same time, supporting the Houthi militias and their allies in secret. Supporting the militias in Yemen comes within the framework of Qatar’s cooperation with Iran, helping the latter survive till now in Yemen.”

Qatar recently called for a review of relations with Iran, “as it represents a major power on the regional and Islamic levels.”

In 2010, Doha refused to use the US military base against Iran, and in 2015, Qatar defended the US nuclear deal with Iran, announcing that it was the first country to support and encourage the settlement.

 

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