Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has strongly condemned Iranian attacks on the State of Qatar and other Gulf countries, saying the justifications provided by Tehran are “totally rejected.”
In an interview with Sky News, His Excellency praised the professionalism of Qatari armed forces and security services in protecting the country, its citizens, residents, and visitors.
“Unfortunately, it's been very difficult for the entire country,” HE Sheikh Mohammed said. "But we have our defense and security personnel doing a great job in defending the country and its people. They have demonstrated a professional way in dealing with all these threats that's coming from Iran.
"We never expected this to come to us from our neighbor. We were always building this relationship in preserving the good neighborhood and relationship in a good faith with Iran. Unfortunately, there are like some justifications and pretext that they've been using to justify these attacks on the state of Qatar and other countries, which is totally rejected."
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs described Iran's actions as "betrayal" and said the strikes were pre-planned, hitting Qatar and other Gulf states immediately after the outbreak of war. "And all of us before this war, we've been saying and repeating that we are not going to take part in any attacks or any wars against our neighbors. We would like to see a peaceful neighborhood. We were helping Iran and the United States reach diplomatic solutions," he said. "But this miscalculation by the Iranians to attack the Gulf countries has destroyed everything."
HE Sheikh Mohammed said the strikes targeted not only military facilities but also civilian infrastructure, energy installations, industrial complexes, and even drinking water systems. He slammed the attacks as "a reckless act" and confirmed that Qatar has the capacity and trained personnel to protect the country, minimize civilian impact, and maintain the functioning of vital services. “We have the capability and the personnel to make sure that the country is defended, and that none of the people are affected by these attacks,” he said.
His Excellency stressed that Qatar will never accept attacks on civil or energy infrastructure, either in its own territory or elsewhere, including Iran. “This has been our position {in} Russia and Ukraine, this has been our position in Gaza, this has been our position in what’s happening currently and will be applied everywhere,” he said.
He noted that on the second day of the war, one of the main Iranian attacks targeted a gas facility, creating a high level of risk that forced Qatar to declare force majeure and temporarily halt operations.
Commenting on Iranian President's statements promising to stop attacks on neighboring states, HE Sheikh Mohammed said: "Everyone was hopeful, including us, {but} even right after he made his statement, we had an attack like 10 minutes later. And I was thinking that this might take some time in order to ensure that everyone had the instruction to halt these attacks. But we got really shocked when the attacks were massively against UAE, Bahrain in the afternoon while we were actually working at the same time with other GCC countries to come out with Collectively expressing that this is what we want to see.”
In an interview with Sky News, Prime Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani on being shocked that Iranian attacks continued massively despite statements by Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologising to neighbouring countries. pic.twitter.com/jaMJ42rIEV
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) March 9, 2026
He emphasized that regional countries do not want to be part of the war and are seeking an immediate cessation of hostilities, always preferring a diplomatic solution. "However, while we were discussing this with our GCC colleagues, their countries were attacked. That was our last hope before Bahrain was struck directly. We witnessed a massive attack on Bahrain at the same moment, and 30 minutes later, Doha itself was hit," he said.
His Excellency affirmed that Qatar reserves the full right to defend itself and will deter any threats, a principle that allows no compromise. "We are not part of this war. We don't want to be a part of that war. We don't want to be dragged into it. But defending our country will remain a principle that will never change. We will take every measure...every action to ensure that no attacks coming to us," he added.
On the broader situation, amid US calls for Iran to surrender and Tehran's claim it can continue fighting for another six months, he said: "Our position and our principle will never change that war always ending around the negotiation table with a diplomatic solution. And all of us, we would like to see a de-escalation in the region as soon as possible."
HE Sheikh Mohammed described the current situation in the region as “extremely serious,” warning that it affects not only regional security but also global security and the stability of the world economy. It highlighted the impact of the Gulf crisis on energy markets and logistics worldwide.
“For this smallest spot in the world, the GCC is a major transit hub for the entire world. There are between Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, only around 350, 360 million passengers passing throughout the year. All of this has been disrupted because of this shake up,” he said.
He explained that Qatar alone supplies around 20% of global energy. On the first day of attacks, operations had to be halted, causing a significant impact on international prices. On the second day, he said, attacks targeted industrial complex, “forcing us to shut down a lot of factories, manufacturing plants that we have in the downstream, including the fertilizer.”
In an interview with Sky News, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani spoke about the cascading effects of Iranian aggression not only on the region but on the entire world.
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) March 9, 2026
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His Excellency noted that Qatar is the world's second-largest producer of urea, representing 10% of the global market, with implications for food, agriculture, and food security in countries that depend on Qatar. The country also produces 35% of the world's helium, a critical component for medical equipment.
The current situation in the GCC has serious implications for both regional and global security, he said, stressing the need for Iran to stop all attacks on Gulf countries and other states that are not parties to the conflict, and for efforts to seek de-escalation and diplomatic solutions whenever possible.
He added that any future resolution requires the threats posed by Iran to be "cleared". “We cannot remain like this especially after this event and stay silent while missiles are directed at us...We are not hostile countries towards them. We've been always trying to help and to support any efforts to find a diplomatic solution to lift the sanctions,” he said.
HE the Prime Minister expressed hope for the prosperity and stability of the Iranian people and for peaceful coexistence with regional countries, noting that ordinary Iranians are among the most affected by the unrest.
Regarding energy infrastructure, he said attacks occur daily. “On a daily basis around 40% of the attacks targeted toward energy facilities, around 25% of the attacks targeting civilian facilities, around 35% of the attacks targeting military, including civilian facilities, including the International Airport facilities were targeted many times, even drinking water storages being attacked,” he said. Moreover, he questioned the purpose behind targeting civilian property.
His Excellency called on the conflict parties to stop the attacks immediately, stressing that Doha will continue dialogue with the Iranians and work to reduce escalation. "What happened is really a huge shake up for the trust in the relationship that we have with Iran. We will continue trying to seek de-escalation. At the end of the day, they are our neighbors."
He added that no other country should have been drawn into the war, warning that continued attacks would prevent any external help and logical intervention, as every country would be focused on defending itself.
For the United States, he voted hopes for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution that "addresses our concerns as well as their concerns".
On the response from the UK and Europe, HE Sheikh Mohammed praised European partners for their political support and assistance in supply chain issues. “The United Kingdom has provided an outstanding support for Qatar. We have the joint squadron working together with our pilots and we are very grateful for this partnership and for this alliance,” he said.
He also defended Europe's role in the crisis, saying: "I don't know why they say that Europe doesn't do anything. Maybe on the general level, but on the level of bilateral relationship with us and with other GCC partners, we have seen them demonstrating a great friendship."
