Qatar will not be dragged into any conflict with Iran, a senior Qatari official said Sunday.
Defence minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah told an international security conference in Singapore that even though the two nations had "a lot of differences", Doha would not "fuel a war" in the region.
"Is it wise to call the US and Israel to go and fight Iran? Iran is next door," he said.
"If any third party is trying to push the region or some country in the region to start a war with Iran, this will be very dangerous," he said.
His comments sparked speculation that he could have been referring to Saudi Arabia, which has led a year-long blockade against Qatar, accusing the emirate of financing terrorist groups and having close ties with Tehran.
Qatar rejects the charges and says the blockading countries — which also include the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt — are seeking regime change in Doha.
Responding to a question on whether Qatar's air bases could be used to launch airstrikes against Iran, al-Attiyah said the country was "not a fan of war", and called instead for engagement and dialogue.
"We should call Iran, put all the files on the table, and discuss to bring peace, (rather) than war," he told the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Qatar hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US base in the region which is home to thousands of US personnel and a forward command centre.
The minister also called for the restoration of a 2015 agreement between world powers and Iran that lifted sanctions from Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump last month withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and ordered the reimposition of sanctions suspended under the accord.
Saudi warns of military action if Qatar gets Russian missiles: report
Paris (AFP) June 2, 2018 –
Saudi Arabia has threatened military action against Qatar if it goes ahead and acquires Russia's top of the range S-400 air defence missile system, Le Monde daily reported.
Citing information it had obtained, Le Monde said Friday that Riyadh had written to French President Emmanuel Macron asking him to intervene to prevent the deal going ahead and to help preserve regional stability.
There was no immediate official reaction from the president's office or the French foreign ministry to the report.
Saudi Arabia, backed by other regional powers including Bahrain and the Unite Arab Emirates, broke off relations with Qatar in June last year, accusing the Gulf state of supporting radical Islamist groups and of being too close to Iran — Riyadh's arch rival in the region.
They subsequently imposed economic sanctions on Qatar which has consistently rejected the charges against it.
In an effort to ease its isolation, Qatar has sought new friends, including Russia.
In January, it announced that talks with Moscow on supplying the sophisticated S-400 system were at an "advanced stage".
Le Monde said that in the letter sent to the French president, Saudi King Salman had expressed his "deep concern" with the discussions between Doha and Moscow and warned about the risk of escalation.
Saudi Arabia "would be ready to take all necessary measures to eliminate this defence system, including military action," the newspaper wrote.
