Qatari Deputy PM: We Will Not Incite War with Iran

Qatari Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Minister of Defense Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah says the oil-rich nation will not participate in any war against Iran.

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"Iran is next door. We should call Iran, put all the files on the table and start to discuss to bring peace rather than war," the minister said, stressing that pushing to start a war with Iran is “dangerous.”

Al-Attiyah, who was speaking at an international security conference in Singapore, added that Qatar has "a lot of differences" with Iran but it does not mean "we go and fuel a war" in the region.

Though Qatar currently hosts some 10,000 U.S. troops – aimed at targeting extremist groups – at the country's Al Udeid Air Base, deputy PM remarked that Qatar was not a "fan of war" but is, instead, supportive of engagement and dialogue.

"Is it wise to call the United States and to call Israel to go and fight Iran? ... Whether any third party is trying to push the region or some country in the region to start a war in Iran, this will be very dangerous."

The senior official advocates for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions (JCPOA) to be kept in place and stated that “everyone should keep holding on to this and advance with this. I think the United States is wiser than to enter in a war with Iran.”

The United States unilaterally withdraw from JCPOA last month.

Last June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting "extremists" and refusing to cut ties with Tehran.

Qatar rejected the accusation that the country was supporting terrorist entities.