Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the war between the US, Israel and Iran is not a sudden escalation, but the result of a long-term Israeli plan to forcefully change the political map of the Middle East.
In his interview for the “Al Muqabala” program, he warned that the region is entering a very dangerous period and that the consequences of the conflict will affect for decades. According to him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the war against Iran to advance the “Greater Israel” project, an idea of ??the Israeli right that aims to expand Israeli influence and control in other Arab territories.
Sheikh Hamad said that Netanyahu has been trying to convince US administrations to go to war with Iran since the 1990s over its nuclear program. He claimed that Netanyahu finally convinced Washington by creating the “illusion” that the war would be short and the Iranian regime would fall within weeks. According to him, this strategy resembles failed US attempts at regime change in other countries.
The former prime minister also criticized the US policy of relying on military force, saying that the real power of the US has always been the ability to avoid wars, not to start them. He added that ultimately all parties returned to the negotiating table and that a few more weeks of diplomatic talks could have averted the conflict.
One of the biggest concerns he raised was the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. He said that Iran is using this strategic sea route as a political and economic weapon, creating a major threat to the global economy and energy exports of the Persian Gulf. According to him, this is the most dangerous consequence of the war.
Sheikh Hamad also criticized Iranian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in the Persian Gulf countries, saying that the Gulf Arab states had opposed the war, yet they are paying a heavy economic and security price. However, he stressed that the Gulf countries and Iran are forced by geography to coexist and called for direct and collective dialogue with Tehran.
In the interview, he also proposed the creation of a “Gulf NATO,” a joint political and military alliance among the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, with Saudi Arabia as the main pillar. He warned that the Gulf countries cannot rely indefinitely on American defense, as the United States is increasingly focused on Asia and its rivalry with China.
Speaking about the war in Gaza, Sheikh Hamad accused Israel of a moral and political catastrophe, saying that there is a plan to empty the conclave of Palestinians and transform the territory into an economic and real estate project. He stated that there can be no discussion of disarming Hamas without guarantees for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
He also praised Saudi Arabia's stance, which rejects normalizing relations with Israel without a clear path toward a Palestinian state, saying this has disrupted Netanyahu's regional plans.