IRAN'S AMBASSADOR IN QATAR -- CROWN PRINCE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000493 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2019 TAGS: PREL ENRG IR QA SUBJECT: IRAN'S AMBASSADOR IN QATAR -- CROWN PRINCE TO VISIT TEHRAN Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b and d). -------------- (SBU) KEY POINTS -------------- -- At a press conference held on July 27, the new Iranian Ambassador to Qatar, Abdullah Sohrabi, announced that Crown Prince Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani would visit Tehran after Ramadan. -- Significantly, he said the Crown Prince had now taken charge of Iranian issues for the Government of Qatar. -- The Iranian Ambassador said Qatar and Iran plan to expand air links and open trade centers in one another's countries. -------------- (C) COMMENTS -------------- -- A state visit to Iran by the Crown Prince is plausible. Qatar's shared gas field with Iran is central to Qatar's economic future, and Qatar has the strategic intent of keeping its relationship with Iran as trouble-free as possible. -- It is also plausible that the Crown Prince is taking on more responsibility for Qatar's relationship with Iran, although the Qataris cannot have been happy with the Iranian Ambassador for making such a public statement. -- If Sohrabi's comments are true, such a shift could well be at the expense of the Prime Minister, who has lost a couple of recent battles to maintain his control over GOQ ministries. -- As the Crown Prince continues to grow into his position as the Heir Apparent, he will almost certainly come into increasing competition with the Prime Minister for control and influence over the activities of the state. For at least a year, the Crown Prince has been slowly taking on more and more responsibility, apparently with the active support of the Amir. End Key Points and Comments. ¶1. (SBU) In a press conference held July 27 in Doha, Iranian Ambassador to Qatar Abdullah Sohrabi announced that Qatari Crown Prince Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani would visit Tehran at the end of Ramadan. ¶2. (SBU) He added that several political and Islamic issues would be addressed during that visit and predicted a "leap forward" in the Iran-Qatar bilateral relationship. He also noted that Tamim would be overseeing the "file of Qatar's relationship with Iran." He emphasized the need for an increased Qatari-Iranian economic expansion and characterized relations between Tehran and Doha as "warm and friendly." ¶3. (SBU) The Iranian Ambassador also stressed that Qatar and Iran held similiar positions on several international issues, especially in relation to Lebanon and Palestine. He said that the support given by Qatar to the people of Lebanon and Palestine "would be recorded in letters of light" throughout history. ¶4. (SBU) Sohrabi expressed his gratitude towards the Amir and the Crown Prince for supporting Islamic issues important to Iran. He hailed Qatar's efforts to deepen its political and economic ties with Iran, and thanked Qatar for voting for Iran to host the 2012 summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He noted that Iran had voted for Qatar to host the Gas Forum. ¶5. (SBU) The Iranian Ambassador stressed that there were many opportunities for the two nations to strengthen their co-operation in the gas and oil sectors. To help facilitate that cooperation, Sohrabi hoped to increase monthly flights between Qatar and Iran from 20 to 200. He noted that plans were underway for the two nations to open trade center in one another's countries and that this would foster economic ties. He also pointed out that Qatar will host the largest Iranian trade fair in the region within the next four months. ¶6. (SBU) Sohrabi closed his interview by answering questions related to the Iranian presidential elections. He blamed "hidden hands" for disrupting the Iranian political process, adding that the unrest was intentionally orchestrated to distort Iran's image. Moreover, he said, Western powers were DOHA 00000493 002 OF 002 creating "Iran phobia" within the Gulf region to disrupt Iran's relations with its Arab neighbors. LeBaron