Iran FM to visit Qatar for talks before UN assembly

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to engage in talks in Qatar, a crucial mediator in the US-Iran conflict, prior to attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to state media reports. Araghchi departed Tehran on Sunday evening, bound for New York, with a brief detour to Doha for consultations on regional developments, IRNA reported.

This stop in Doha is significant as Iranian officials have reiterated Teheran's conditions for lifting its blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Hormuz strait has been a focal point of the ongoing Middle East conflict that erupted in late February, following Iran's blockade in response to US-Israeli attacks. Now, Iran requires ships to obtain its authorization to pass through the strait, citing security and sovereignty concerns, and is contemplating a mechanism to impose service fees. The US, in turn, has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports as the situation remains unresolved.