Qatar's Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, today called for the creation of a collective security system in the Middle East, claiming that his absence contributed to the war between the United States and Israel against Iran.
© Reuters
22/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ Nthe centre of the dangerous situation we have seen is the absence of a regional system of collective security,” said the emir during the speech at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Al Thani recalled that Qatar had previously advocated the creation of such a mechanism, but regretted that its absence allowed a war to erupt, motivated by “considerations outside the interests of the countries of the region”.
“ We reiterate this appeal after recent events have demonstrated the urgent need for it,” said the Emir, who defended a system that guarantees the security and sovereignty of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
These Washington allies were hit by Iranian retaliation attacks on military and energy infrastructure after the start of the Israeli-American offensive against Iran in late February.
According to Al Thani, the war caused serious damage to the regional economies and world trade in hydrocarbons, particularly due to the blockade of the Strait of Ormuz, through which, before the conflict, it transited about a quarter of the world's maritime trade in oil and gas.
The leader qatari also denounced the transformation of the global economy into a “tool of pressure and negotiation” between the belligerent parties.
Al Thani considered that events could have been avoided and advocated a diplomatic solution to the conflict, beginning with the reopening of the Ormuz Strait and the return of Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.
“ The crisis we are facing today should not surprise anyone. It is the accumulated result of years to postpone crisis management through temporary and unrealistic political solutions,” said Emir.
In the same speech, the Emir of Qatar denounced the war in the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023, classifying Israel as a “genocide in every sense of the word.”.
“ One cannot speak of a just international order as long as Palestine remains a blind spot in it,” Al Thani said.
“What happened in Gaza is genocide in every sense of the word and a stain of shame on the conscience of humanity as a whole,” added Qatar’s leader, a country that has played a mediation role in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.