UANI Calls Upon U.S. To Punish Qatar For Ongoing Ties With Iran And Hamas

(New York, N.Y.) – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released the following statement after a letter UANI sent today to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of the Sixth U.S-Qatar Strategic Dialogue to be hosted at the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, March 5.

“Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs deserves to walk into the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue tomorrow and have his government rocked to its core by U.S. officials unwilling to extend a free pass to Doha for its robust ties with both state sponsors of terrorism and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. In addition to openly playing host to Hamas leaders, Qatar is presently helping the Iranian regime, for the second time in two years, to sell the weaponry it uses against Americans – and supplies to Russia for use against Ukrainians – at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) while the Strategic Dialogue is taking place.

“It is abhorrent but clarifying that this so-called ally has welcomed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sanctions-designated Iranian military officials, and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), not to mention a Russian warship on an official visit. The U.S. and Qatar do not share similar interests or values. Qatar is not an ally; it is an enabler of the most bloodthirsty regime on earth.

“UANI calls upon the U.S. to use its planned meetings tomorrow to impress upon Qatar the serious nature of these concerns, suspend Qatar’s official status as a major non-NATO ally, and announce sanctions against the State of Qatar, the DIMDEX conference and its organizers including the Al Thani royal family.

“It was a mistake for the U.S. to declare Qatar a major non-NATO ally. It was a mistake to extend the U.S. military presence in the country. And it will be a mistake if the U.S. erodes its credibility by looking the other way while Qatar fetes terrorists. This is a time for moral clarity and a reset of U.S. strategic interests.”