Doha, March 19 (IANS) Qatar on Thursday strongly condemned “Iran’s aggression” and demanded immediate cessation of hostilities asserting that increasing hostilities and escalating the war will only lead to further destabilization of the region.

Addressing the media jointly with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Doha, Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani mentioned that Iran’s claim that it is targetting US bases is “unacceptable and unjustified”.

He stated that Iran’s attack on Ras Laffan on Wednesday will have repercussions on energy supplies and affect millions of people around the world as the gas plant is vital not just for Qatar but the entire world.

“Iran must stop its attacks and not expand the conflict to the region; any expansion of the war will never enable stability,” stressed Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani who is also Qatar’s Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Qatar News Agency reported that Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a phone call from Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer late Thursday afternoon during which both leaders discussed regional developments, in light of the continued “Iranian aggression” against Qatar and a number of countries in the region, and the resulting dangerous escalation that threatens regional and international security and stability.

“The UK Prime Minister voiced his condemnation and dismay at the targetting of the Ras Laffan Industrial City, stressing that these actions are unacceptable and constitute a flagrant violation of international conventions and norms. He emphasised the UK’s full commitment to the security of the State of Qatar, and the need for de-escalation and a swift return to the negotiating table. The call also included discussions on ways to reduce escalation and contain tension through diplomatic channels, and to intensify international efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading and to ensure stability in the region,” QNA reported.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministers of Qatar and several other countries including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates held a consultative ministerial meeting regarding the Iranian attacks.

The participants discussed the Iranian attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and affirmed their condemnation and denunciation of these deliberate Iranian attacks with ballistic missiles and drones, which targetted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, water desalination plants, airports, residential facilities, and diplomatic headquarters.

“The participants stressed that these attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way. They also affirmed the right of states to defend themselves in accordance with Article (51) of the Charter of the United Nations,” read a statement issued after the meeting.

The participating countries called on Iran to immediately cease its attacks, respect international law, international humanitarian law and the principles of good neighborliness, as a first step towards ending the escalation, achieving security and stability in the region, and activating diplomacy as a means to resolve crises.

–IANS

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