QATAR PERSPECTIVE

The Gulf Times out of Doha offers the panel's most counterintuitive take: 'Iran oil revenue soars as it's the only exporter out of Hormuz.' While the world suffers, Iran — the belligerent — is raking in 'hundreds of millions of dollars in extra income.' The paradox is striking: the war enriches the very party it's meant to destroy.

Qatar, itself a major LNG player, covers the crisis with the detachment of a country profiting from the hydrocarbon surge. The Gulf Times reports that 'chiefs of staff of 35 countries discuss resuming navigation in the Strait of Hormuz' and that Merz considers extending German coal — facts covered with the apparent neutrality of a nation that doesn't need to pick sides.

But between the lines, the Qatari position is clear: the Strait of Hormuz is the nerve center of the war, and whoever controls the passage controls the price. Qatar, exporting LNG by sea, understands better than anyone what a maritime chokepoint means.