'Unacceptable': Qatar PM says Strait of Hormuz situation 'very difficult, very challenging'

New York: Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thon Friday (local time) said that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is "very difficult and challenging", while calling for an end to the "manipulation and blackmailing" of waterways.

In an interview with CNN news anchor Christiane Amanpour, Al-Thani said, "The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is very difficult, very challenging. This is unacceptable. The strait has been always an international waterway... We should put an end to this manipulation and this blackmailing of the waterways."

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The Qatar PM also gave updates on the ongoing diplomacy, informing of "some positive progress"

He also said, "We've been in the past few weeks... trying our best to bring back diplomacy on track between Iran and the US", adding that this week's indirect talks had "some positive progress... We are really hopeful that diplomacy can prevail and that we can find a solution."

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, Al-Thani also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York on Friday (local time), Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

The ministry said Pezeshkian met Al-Thani at his residence in New York. Discussions during the meeting focused on the latest developments in the region, along with efforts to de-escalate tensions and create a conducive environment for dialogue, thereby contributing to the enhancement of regional security and stability.

All these meetings and remarks come as Qatar plays one of the key negotiators amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.

Meanwhile, in a development that will put the world and West Asia on tenterhooks, the Wall Street Journal has reported that President Trump has rejected Iran's proposal for a seven-day ceasefire.

According to the report, which quoted US officials, the US President has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterms. This follows his open threat of annihilating Iran made during his speech to the UN General Assembly earlier this week.

"I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? Maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world. Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? But I believe we'll make a deal right after the election, because it doesn't make sense for them not to," he told the Assembly on September 22.

On Thursday, Iran's foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran has offered a seven-day plan to end the conflict in West Asia. The plan would also seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and then begin comprehensive talks on Iran's nuclear program.

Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly that the proposal was similar to the MoU reached between the US and Iran in June this year.

"We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediators that if certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would be open on the end of the seventh day and talks would restart...it would be better, if a deal was reached before the U.S. midterm elections," he said.

In his meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Araghchi stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has conveyed to the American side its reasonable conditions and requirements for advancing diplomacy, emphasising that restoring security to the region requires an end to US interventionist and aggressive actions against Iran.

The Iranian foreign minister underscored Iran's commitment to pursuing diplomacy regarding its peaceful nuclear program, stressing that no party can ignore Iran's good faith in the negotiations, as well as the US and Israeli military aggression against Iran in the midst of the talks, while portraying Iran as responsible for insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed US President Donald Trump and the American side for the failure to implement the negotiated settlement that both sides had reached in June this year.

Now, with Trump rejecting a peace overture from the Iranians, the heat in West Asia is likely to get more intense once the US mid-term elections are done and dusted.