Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday 27 October 2026 that Iran needs to show good intentions for mediation efforts to succeed. A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a press briefing that Iran should stop threats against Arab Gulf states and open the Strait of Hormuz. A Qatari delegation had visited Tehran earlier in the week in an effort to de-escalate tensions, in coordination with the United States.

Mediation against a tense backdrop

Qatar, along with Pakistan, has been mediating between Washington and Tehran over the US–Israeli war on Iran that has disrupted shipping and oil supplies. On Monday 26 October, senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan also met Iranian officials in Tehran. Context reported by Reuters includes US President Donald Trump saying on Friday that the US may strike Iran again.

Claim attributed, not confirmed

Reuters also reported a claim, attributed to unnamed Iranian security officials, that Tehran had drawn up plans to attack Gulf undersea cables if the US and Israel attack again. That is attributed here, not stated as confirmed Iranian policy. The Qatari spokesperson is named in secondary coverage; Reuters itself in the extract does not name the spokesperson, so no name is stated here. This statement follows the Qatari mediators' Tehran visit reported on 25 October and is a separate public message, not a repeat of that visit.

Sources: Reuters; Qatari Foreign Ministry briefing, 27 October 2026.