DOHA (Dispatches) -- Qatari 
Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari said during a forum in the UAE that Washington’s military presence in the Persian Gulf is “not enough” to ensure “security.”
“We need to realize in the Persian Gulf that having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the U.S., is very important, but is not enough,” Ansari said.
“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. 
The Qatari official made separate comments to Emirati newspaper The National, saying that Qatar–Iran relations will take time to improve but eventually will. 
“As we have found peace and harmony with all of the nationalities living in our countries, we will for sure find a way of living next to Iran. Most of the responsibility for that lies on the Iranian side – in exercising good neighborly relations and realizing that they are living next to neighbors, not enemies,” he said, failing to mention the use of Persian Gulf bases for attacks on Iran. 
Ansari also said his country will “extend” its hand to Tehran “when the time is right.”
U.S. bases and assets in Qatar came under heavy retaliatory strikes right after the start of the illegal U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which has killed thousands. 
The Persian Gulf state hosts the Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. base in the region. That base came under multiple Iranian missile attacks at the height of the war. 
U.S. bases in other countries, including Bahrain and Kuwait, were heavily bombarded by Iranian forces as well, resulting in unprecedented damage. 
Additionally, the UAE and Saudi Arabia host bases used for attacks on Iran and have come under heavy retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, was hammered by Iranian drones and missiles. 
According to a new CNN report, the U.S. intelligence community is discussing a potential “reduction” of its military presence across the region. Iran has demanded a withdrawal of U.S. troops from areas surrounding it, as is stipulated in the Islamabad agreement reached between Washington and Tehran. 
Throughout the war, reports indicated that Persian Gulf states were suffering from significant shortages in U.S.-made interceptors. 
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in early March that Washington’s Arab allies were in a “race against time” as interceptor stocks quickly depleted. 
A Saudi political analyst said at the time that there was “disappointment” with the U.S. for focusing efforts on defending Israel while allowing Persian Gulf states to bear the brunt of the war.