Qatar says Gulf cannot rely on US alone for security

ABU DHABI: Gulf nations cannot rely solely on the United States and other international alliances for their security and need to be more self-sufficient, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said in Abu Dhabi on Monday (Sep 7).

"We need to realise in the Gulf that having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the United States, is very important, but is not enough," he told the Hili Forum in the United Arab Emirates' capital.

"Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward. Yes, we need our partners. Yes, we need our allies. But we cannot depend on them alone for our security," he added.

Qatar is a key mediator in the US-Iran war and has also sustained heavy Iranian attacks, especially on its energy infrastructure. 

The tiny but wealthy, gas-rich country hosts the biggest US base in the Middle East. Throughout the war, Iran has responded to US attacks by attacking American military sites and the region's energy facilities.

After six months of conflict, the foes are at a stalemate, with Iran disrupting traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the US pressing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

Last month, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Tehran as part of the mediation efforts, after Iran and Oman, which border the key strait, said they were discussing a temporary shipping corridor and mine-clearing.