Qatar condemns Iranian attacks on three tankers in Strait of Hormuz

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Iran for attacks on three commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, among them the Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Al-Rekayyat. Doha called the strikes unacceptable and held Tehran fully responsible for endangering the safety of maritime navigation through the Gulf's principal shipping corridor.

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow channel linking the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the open sea beyond. Roughly a fifth of the world's oil and a substantial share of globally traded liquefied natural gas pass through it, making any threat to shipping there a concern well beyond the immediate parties. For Qatar the waterway is indispensable: as one of the world's largest LNG exporters, the country ships almost all of its gas through the strait to buyers in Asia and Europe, and Al-Rekayyat belongs to the specialised fleet that carries those cargoes.

The foreign ministry framed the assault on civilian vessels as a violation of international law and the freedom of navigation that Gulf commerce depends on, and it stressed the need to protect merchant shipping operating in the region's waters.

The condemnation is notable given Qatar's longstanding preference for dialogue with Tehran. The two states share the North Field, the world's largest natural gas reservoir, and Doha has repeatedly positioned itself as a mediator in disputes involving Iran rather than an antagonist. By naming Iran directly and demanding accountability for the strike on Al-Rekayyat and the two other tankers, Qatar signalled that attacks on its energy lifeline cross a line it will not leave unanswered.