Qatar calls on Iran to stop Gulf attacks, urges diplomatic solution 

Qatar has called on Iran to immediately stop attacks on Gulf countries so a diplomatic solution could be sought to end the war with the United States and Israel, which has triggered a global energy crisis.

“Iran must stop the attacks immediately so that a diplomatic solution to the crisis can be found,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Monday, adding that Tehran has targeted residential areas, energy sites and Hamad International Airport.

“Iran is attacking Gulf countries without any reason and must stop its attacks because we are outside the conflict,” the spokesman said during a news conference in the Qatari capital Doha.

Iran has been targeting US assets and civilian sites in Gulf countries since the US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28.

The attacks have killed more than 1,400 people in Iran and damaged military as well as civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, airports and sea ports.

Tehran also has fired barrages of drones and missiles at Israel, killing at least 15 people.

Qatar and other Gulf states have been urging Iran to halt its attacks, with the Qatari envoy to the United Nations last week describing the assault as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

During Monday’s news conference, al-Ansari noted that an Iranian media outlet said economic and civilian sites would be targeted – statements that the spokesman said Qatar takes seriously.

“Stopping the attacks requires a decision from Iran’s foreign minister, and Qatar will defend itself,” he said. “Contacts are still ongoing with Gulf countries to ensure de-escalation and confront Iran’s attacks.”

He added that there is currently no mediation between the US and Iran, however.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday denied that Tehran was behind some of the attacks targeting the Gulf countries as he accused the US and Israel of carrying out some of the strikes.

He urged foreign governments to investigate.

“They have copied a number of weapons used by Iran. Some people alleged that Iranian drones could reach the United States’s western coast. I can assure you that Iranian drones cannot cover those long distances,” he said during a news conference.

Baghaei said all these “false accusations” are meant to pave the way for a “false-flag operation they intend to carry out”.

Reporting from the Iranian capital Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said the comments from Baghaei about the US and Israel were “serious allegations”, adding that Iran was clear about how it would respond.

“The Iranian side came out with a clear message that in case of a US attack on Iran, the response was going to be crushing and include all US military bases across the region,” he noted.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi expressed Tehran’s readiness to conduct a joint investigation into the attacks on the Gulf nations.

But al-Ansari, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman, rejected the offer of a joint probe, saying: “Iran should stop its attacks on countries that did not target Iranian territory.”