QATAR PERSPECTIVE

Doha, May 28, 2026. The night of May 27-28 placed Qatar at the center of a crisis it cannot afford to ignore. As US strikes targeted an Iranian military site near Bandar Abbas airport in response to the launch of four Iranian drones against a US Navy ship and a commercial cargo in the Strait of Hormuz, Doha's official condemnation of missile strikes on Kuwait dominated the Qatari reaction.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement on Thursday without ambiguity: Doha "strongly condemns the targeting of Kuwait by missiles and drones" and qualifies these strikes as "a blatant violation of Kuwait's sovereignty" and "a manifest breach of international law". The ministry emphasized "the need to preserve the region from the consequences of unjustified attacks" and reaffirmed "Qatar's full solidarity with the State of Kuwait and its support for all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty and security".

Behind this statement of principle is a deeper strategic anxiety. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the conflict, remains paralyzed since the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28. For a Qatari economy whose liquefied natural gas exports depend heavily on this maritime route, each week of closure represents a significant economic cost.

Donald Trump's threat against Oman, a long-standing US ally and traditional mediator between Washington and Tehran, added a destabilizing dimension. "Oman will behave like everyone else, or we will have to blow them up," Trump said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a comment later relayed by the State Department. This outburst against Muscat, which was negotiating the management of transit in the strait, precisely weakens the type of discreet mediation that Doha practices and values.

In terms of negotiations, markets briefly rallied on Wednesday after an Iranian state channel mentioned a draft memorandum of understanding providing for the reopening of the strait within 30 days. US crude oil prices fell by 5.5% to $88.68, and Brent to $92. But the White House called this report "pure fabrication," and the new nighttime strikes erased these gains, with Brent rebounding by 3.75%. Trump reaffirmed that "the deal must be perfect," adding that in the case of otherwise, "we simply need to finish the job".

For Doha, whose diplomatic hub position relies on its ability to dialogue with all parties, this escalation tests the limits of productive neutrality. Qatar hosts the Al Udeid air base, the main US command center in the region, while maintaining open channels with Tehran. This double posture, a major asset in times of mediation, becomes a source of tension when belligerents clash at its doorstep and Washington threatens its Arab neighbors.