President Joe Biden met Monday with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, following reviews that Iran requested for the Persian Gulf nation’s assistance on a attainable prisoner alternate with america.
Qatar’s ruling emir is the primary Gulf chief to go to the White Home since Biden took workplace final 12 months. On Monday, he met with senior US officers for talks overlaying vitality safety in Europe, assist for Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear settlement, in line with senior administration officers who briefed reporters on Sunday.
4 US residents — Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Sharghi — stay behind bars in Iran on groundless spying and nationwide safety prices. Washington and Tehran have performed indirect discussions on the prisoners that the Biden administration has described as separate from the nuclear talks.
However final week, US Particular Envoy for Iran Robert Malley signaled {that a} revived nuclear settlement was unlikely to happen with out the People’ launch.
“The cat is out of the bag as to how the Biden administration sees the hostage and nuclear tracks with Iran,” mentioned Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow on the Basis for the Protection of Democracies. “To place it in another way: There may be extra linkage than meets the attention.”
The newest: Qatar maintains ties with each america and Iran. The emir’s go to to Washington comes days after Qatari Overseas Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Overseas Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran.
Throughout a separate Jan. 11 assembly in Doha, Amir-Abdollahian reportedly requested Qatar to assist dealer the discharge of the People and different twin nationals held in Iran, Reuters reported.
State Division spokesperson Ned Worth declined to remark Monday on a attainable Qatari function, however mentioned the discharge of People and third-country nationals detained in Iran stays a “high precedence.”
“It is rather onerous for us to think about a return to the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] whereas 4 harmless People are behind bars or detained in Iran,” a senior State Division official instructed reporters on a name Monday.
Why it issues: A number of Gulf nations had referred to as on the Biden administration to first seek the advice of with them earlier than returning america to the Iranian nuclear settlement that former President Donald Trump deserted in 2018. After eight rounds of talks in Vienna, prospects have dimmed for a “longer and stronger” deal that will deal with some Gulf issues, together with Iran’s ballistic missile program and assist for regional proxies.
“It’s good optics for the Biden administration to be clearly, very publicly partaking with a Gulf safety companion presently,” mentioned Annelle Sheline, a analysis fellow within the Center East program on the Quincy Institute for Accountable Statecraft.
However Gulf powerhouses “Riyadh and Abu Dhabi might not really feel all that reassured that Doha is within the room” and can increase their similar issues, together with over Iran’s ballistic missiles.
Know extra: Traditionally impartial Oman helped coordinate backchannel talks between america and Iran that paved the way in which for the 2015 nuclear deal and the discharge of 5 American prisoners. Switzerland, which acts because the US defending energy in Iran, has additionally performed a job in securing the discharge of US residents.
Qatar has a observe file of profitable mediation between america and its adversaries, together with in Afghanistan the place Doha now formally represents American pursuits.
In 2014, Qatari intermediaries negotiated the discharge of US Military Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in alternate for 5 Afghan Taliban detainees held on the Guantanamo Bay jail. In 2020, the Qatari capital served because the venue for a historic deal signed by america and the Taliban, which set the stage for a prisoner swap between the Afghan authorities and the insurgents.
What’s subsequent: Prisoner advocates are hopeful the Qataris may play the same function as a go-between with Iran. “It appears to be like like issues are transferring,” mentioned Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese resident of america who was detained by Iran from 2015 to 2019. Earlier this month, Zakka held what he described as an “encouraging” assembly with Malley in Vienna and mentioned he was left with the understanding that america received’t conform to a nuclear deal except the People are freed.
