Qatar’s ruler meets Iranian minister in latest Gulf visit

DOHA, Qatar – Qatar’s ruler has met with Iran’s foreign minister in the latest visit to the Arabian Peninsula by a senior official from the predominantly Shiite nation.

The state-run Qatar News Agency reported that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at his Al-Bahr Palace in the capital, Doha, Wednesday. Qatar and Iran share control of a giant underwater natural gas field.

The visit to Qatar by Iran’s top diplomat comes nearly a month after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met with the leaders of Oman and Kuwait in visits aimed at repairing ties with Gulf Arab neighbours.

Tehran’s relations with members of the six-nation, Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council have been strained since Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Bahrain broke off diplomatic relations with Iran last year.