If We Were Qatar, We Wouldn’t Heed U.S. Pressure on Iran’s Dues

TEHRAN – Leader of the 
Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei told Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani here Wednesday that expanding relations with neighbors is a definite policy of the Islamic Republic. 
“One of the declared policies of Mr. Pezhikian’s government is also expanding relations with neighbors, and by the grace of God, good work has been done in this regard and some progress has been made, and Mr. Araghchi, the esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs, is active and dynamic in this area,” the Leader said.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, visited Doha last October and oversaw the signing of several agreements to step up cultural, economic, and political cooperation.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also visited the regional countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Damascus, Oman, Jordan and Egypt with a message of friendship. 
Ayatollah Khamenei expressed hope that the agreements signed between Iran and Qatar will benefit both countries and both sides will be able to fulfill their neighborly duties more than before.
“We consider Qatar a friendly and brotherly country, although there are still ambiguous and unresolved issues, such as the return of Iranian dues that were transferred from South Korea to Qatar, and we know that the main obstacle to the implementation of the agreement that was made in this regard is the United States,” the Leader said.
On the day of President Pezeshkian’s visit to Qatar, the United States announced that Iran would not gain access any time soon to $6 billion in Iranian funds parked in a Qatar bank.
Iran’s UN mission said at the time that the U.S. government was “acutely aware that they cannot renege” on the deal reached over the money, which was transferred to Qatar from an account in South Korea to make it accessible for Iranian humanitarian needs.
The Iranian oil revenues had been frozen in Seoul after Washington, under President Donald Trump, placed a total ban on Iran’s oil exports and sanctioned its banks in 2019.
“If we were in Qatar’s place, we would not pay attention to American pressures and would return the dues of the other side, and we continue to expect such an action from Qatar,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized that there is no difference between American presidents.
Sheikh Tamim expressed his pleasure at meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei and appreciated the positions of the Islamic Republic in supporting the oppressed people of the world and the Palestinian people.
“Your Excellency’s standing by the Palestinian people will never be forgotten,” he told the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The Qatari emir referred to the special and difficult conditions of the region, saying they required greater cooperation among the countries of the region.
Also, referring to the agreements reached between Iran and Qatar, including the construction of an underwater tunnel between the two countries, Sheikh Tamim said that based on the agreement reached, the joint commission of the two countries will soon be activated and the volume of economic exchanges will increase in the near future.
In January, the two countries unveiled the ambitious joint venture to construct the world’s longest undersea tunnel, stretching 190 kilometers beneath the Persian Gulf. 
The groundbreaking project aims to deepen economic cooperation and enhance trade routes between the two nations.
If completed, the tunnel is said to surpass all existing underwater infrastructure projects, solidifying the Persian Gulf region’s role as a global hub for connectivity and innovation.