'Unacceptable': Qatar PM says Strait of Hormuz situation 'very difficult, very challenging'

New York: Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thon Friday (local time) said that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is "very difficult and challenging", while calling for an end to the "manipulation and blackmailing" of waterways.

In an interview with CNN news anchor Christiane Amanpour, Al-Thani said, "The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is very difficult, very challenging. This is unacceptable. The strait has been always an international waterway... We should put an end to this manipulation and this blackmailing of the waterways."

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The Qatar PM also gave updates on the ongoing diplomacy, informing of "some positive progress"

He also said, "We've been in the past few weeks... trying our best to bring back diplomacy on track between Iran and the US", adding that this week's indirect talks had "some positive progress... We are really hopeful that diplomacy can prevail and that we can find a solution."

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, Al-Thani also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York on Friday (local time), Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.