Spain voices solidarity with Qatar in light of Iran’s attacks

Spain Qatar relations

In response to Iranian attacks on the country and elsewhere in the region as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran continues, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares expressed his country’s solidarity with Qatar.

That was during a telephone conversation Albares had with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Doha’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain laid bare his country’s solidarity with the State of Qatar, emphasizing the need to deescalation and preserve infrastructure and civilian facilities," it said.

The phone call discussed developments in the military escalation in the region and “its serious repercussions on regional and international security and stability”. The talks on the issue included “ways for resolving all disputes peacefully”.

Sheikh Mohammed also did not miss the opportunity to call for Iran to end its aggression against Qatar and the wider region, alluding to “targeting an area of vital infrastructure, specifically those related to water, food and energy facilities”.

“Sheikh Mohammed also emphasised the need to strengthen coordination and intensify joint efforts, return to the negotiating table, give priority to reason and wisdom in order to contain the crisis and ensure energy security globally, freedom of navigation and environmental safety as well as maintaining stability within the region,” added the statement.

The war between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran has been ongoing since it was declared on 28 February, leading to instability in the Middle East region.

Spain has adopted a firm position against the military actions of the United States, closing its airspace to American planes participating in the war and preventing them from using their jointly administered military bases.

Iran has no other option at this time but to target these groups in the region, including Qatar, under allegations of targeting U.S. interests — a claim that has been rejected internationally.

The attacks struck at key facilities, including energy installations like Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City. On 1 April, Iran targeted the Aqua 1, a fuel oil tanker under charter to QatarEnergy in what would be a no-casualty attack in Qatar’s economic waters.

Iran’s blocking of the critical Strait of Hormuz was another major concern, given the waterway’s hazard to worldwide shipments. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade passes through the Strait.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to attack bridges and power plants in Iran unless it opens the Strait of Hormuz by his Monday deadline.