Alwaght- Qatar has announced its ambassador will return to Tehran more than 20 months in what is a clear snub to Saudi-led regimes’ demanding that Doha downgrades its ties with the Islamic Republic.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Qatari foreign ministry said its ambassador would "return to resume his diplomatic duties", as Doha wanted to strengthen ties in all fields with the Islamic republic.
The information office did not specify an exact date for the ambassador's return - or provide his name - but said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed "bilateral relations and means of boosting and developing them" in a telephone call with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.
Qatar recalled its ambassador to Tehran in January last year after Saudi Arabia unilaterally cut ties with the Islamic Republic, claiming Iran of failing to protect its embassy in the capital and consulate in Mashahd against protesters who had ransacked them.
The incidents occurred after the Riyadh regime unjustly executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shite Saudi leader who had rallied masses in demanding their rights in the kingdom's Shiite-majority eastern province.
The decision to restore ties with Iran comes amid a diplomatic dispute between Qatar and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.
Since 5 June, the four Arab regimes cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting what they call extremist groups, including Palestinian Hamas resistance movement and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as having close ties with neighboring Iran.
Qatar has defended itself against the accusation saying the groups are not extremist, while insisting on having good ties with Iran.
The Saudi-led block later issued demands that Qatar must meet before ties are restored including curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the al-Jazeera TV channel, closing a Turkish military base in Doha and downgrading its ties with neighboring Iran. Qatar rejected the demands arguing they are illogical and infringe on its sovereignty.
