Relationship dossier
Iran
Qatar
Relationship assessment
Pragmatic cooperation over shared resources and regional diplomacy, alongside differences over regional conflicts
Iran toward Qatar
+45Iran provided Qatar with access to Iranian airspace and supplied goods during the 2017 blockade, helping sustain Qatar's external connections and supplies. Iran has also engaged Qatar in coordination concerning their shared natural-gas reservoir.
Qatar toward Iran
+35Qatar has maintained diplomatic engagement with Iran and has used its regional role for mediation involving Tehran. Qatar and Iran have also pursued coordination related to the South Pars–North Dome gas reservoir, while Qatar's regional policy has not always aligned with Iran's.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship is underpinned by practical cooperation over a major shared gas reservoir and Qatar's continued engagement with Iran. Iran's support for Qatar during the 2017 blockade was a significant cooperative act. The partnership remains pragmatic rather than close, with Qatar balancing its ties and regional positions and the two governments differing over conflicts such as Syria.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and Qatar have maintained pragmatic cooperation alongside regional differences. Iran provided Qatar with airspace access and supplies during the 2017 blockade by neighboring states, while the countries share the South Pars–North Dome natural-gas reservoir and have pursued bilateral coordination. Qatar has maintained engagement with Tehran, including diplomatic contact and mediation efforts. Their cooperation coexists with differing regional alignments, notably over Syria.
Areas of tension
- Iran and Qatar backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.
Key developments
Iran provided Qatar with airspace access and supplies during the blockade imposed by neighboring states.
Iran and Qatar pursued coordination concerning development of their shared South Pars–North Dome natural-gas reservoir.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral coordination on the shared gas reservoir are unclear.
- The extent of Qatar-Iran security cooperation beyond publicly known contacts is uncertain.