Khaberni - Qatar warned today, Tuesday, of "catastrophic" consequences for the region due to any US-Iranian military escalation, with Washington threatening military intervention amid the suppression of protests in the Islamic Republic.
The spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed Al-Ansari, said in a press conference in response to a question from "France Press" regarding mutual military threats between Tehran and Washington, "We know that any escalation... will have catastrophic results in the region and beyond, and therefore we want to avoid that as much as possible."
Al-Ansari said, "We are still at a stage where we believe a diplomatic solution is possible... We are engaged in talking to all parties, and of course with our neighbors."
Doha paid a price for the American intervention in the war between Iran and Israel, which lasted 12 days in June.
Tehran launched missiles at the Al Udeid American base in Doha in response to Washington's targeting of its nuclear facilities, in an attack that resulted in no casualties.
Al-Ansari's statements came after the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump keeps the option of launching airstrikes on Iran in face of the crackdown on anti-authority protests, while keeping a diplomatic channel open with Tehran.
A human rights organization reported on Monday that about 650 protesters had been killed since the protests began about two weeks ago. "Iran Human Rights", based in Norway, reported that the death toll is likely to rise.
The organization pointed out that "according to some estimates, more than 6,000 may have been killed," but it warned that the Iranian authorities' internet blackout for about 4 days makes it "extremely difficult to independently verify these reports."
In response to American threats, the speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned Monday that the Iranian military would teach Trump "an unforgettable lesson" if Washington launched a new attack on Iran.
He considered the American military and ships as "legitimate targets" in statements broadcast by official television.
Washington also said that diplomatic channels remain open, and that Iran has a "completely different tone" in private discussions with Trump's special envoy Steve Whitkov.
Journalist Magdy Mohamed Mohailan
