Iran Sees Opening in Saudi-Qatar Feud, Offers Food, Airspace to Qatar – NBCNews.com
If the Saudis are going to dump their alliance with Qatar, their main rival in the region is happy to fill the void.
The Iranians have taken the diplomatic high ground, advocating cooperation in the region and offering food and airspace to the Qataris.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, "calls on all the neighbors involved in the current disputes in the southern Persian Gulf region to learn lessons from the past bitter experiences of the region show utmost restraint and move toward reducing tensions and returning to tranquility."
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates said Monday they were breaking off diplomatic relations with Qatar and severing air, sea and land links, accusing the tiny Gulf nation of backing terrorism and getting too cozy with Iran.
Related: Behind the Split Between Qatar And Its Neighbors
After Saudi Arabia shut its borders with Qatar, food started to disappear from the shelves of stores in Doha, the Qatari capital. Shoppers filled their carts, knowing how many consumer goods cross the Saudi border.
A top Iranian agricultural official responded by announcing Monday that Iran could send food shipments to Qatar by ship. He said the shipments would take 12 hours to reach Qatar. It is not known if any shipments have yet arrived.
People line up to buy food items at a supermarket in Doha, Qatar, on June 5, 2017. @shalome05 / via AP
Meanwhile, because Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the other Gulf States have closed their airspaces to Qatari planes, Iran is allowing Qatari airlines to use Iranian airspace.
An Iranian transportation official said Tuesday that Qatari flights bound to North Africa and Europe that used to cross Saudi, Egyptian or Kuwaiti airspace can now travel over Iran, Iraq and Jordan. Flights to Northern Europe can cross Iran. The official said Iran's air traffic would increase 20 percent, as would its revenue from fees for use of its airspace.
Programs that track flight paths show that Qatari airplanes have changed their routes. Those headed to Europe are crossing the Persian Gulf into Iranian airspace and then heading north across Iran and Jordan.
The flights most affected are those to Africa, some of which must now cross south of Saudi Arabia. A flight from Doha to Khartoum now takes 2 hours and 20 minutes longer.
See the article here:
Iran Sees Opening in Saudi-Qatar Feud, Offers Food, Airspace to Qatar - NBCNews.com
- Trump voters say the pope should 'stay in his lane' and butt out of the Iran war - NBC News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Middle East crisis live: Iran says fundamental issues still to be resolved with US amid strait of Hormuz impasse - The Guardian - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Strait of Hormuz blocked as gaps remain on Iran peace talks - Reuters - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran war: What is happening on day 51 of the US-Iran conflict? - Al Jazeera - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Trump: Iran got a little cute by blocking Hormuz again, but talks going really well - The Times of Israel - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran war: What is happening on day 50 of the US-Iran conflict? - Al Jazeera - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The U.S. is ready to seize Iran-linked ships with boarding parties, report says, while Marines practice maritime raids - Fortune - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Report: Iran still able to access around 70% of its pre-war missile stocks, 60% of launchers - The Times of Israel - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran fully closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade and fires on ships - AP News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Why China is taking a behind-the-scenes role in the Iran war - The Washington Post - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- In Qatar, Trapped Between the U.S. and Iran, War Forced a Reckoning - The New York Times - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on? - The Guardian - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Heres what the stock market might have gotten wrong about the Iran war - The Washington Post - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- After war of words on Iran, Pope Leo says he's not interested in a debate with Trump - NBC News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran war: What is happening on day 49 of the US-Iran conflict? - Al Jazeera - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran parliament speaker touts progress in US talks, but Strait of Hormuz still shut - The Times of Israel - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Trump, Iran cite progress in talks as uncertainty hangs over Strait - KSL News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- What has Trump said before possible US-Iran talks and what could it mean? - Al Jazeera - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Trump keeps claiming victory in Iran. Our new poll shows voters arent buying it. - Politico - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The Iran war has revealed Trump's pressure point: the economy - Reuters - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The Iran war has exposed the limits of neutrality - Al Jazeera - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Smerconish: To end the Iran conflict, Congress must authorize it - CNN - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Faisal Islam: What people in power think the impact of the Iran war will be - BBC - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- What's it like to negotiate with Iran? We asked people who have done it - NPR - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Opinion: All the good US did after WWII squandered with Iran war - The Asheville Citizen Times - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Iran doubles down on closing the Strait of Hormuz as the ceasefire nears expiration - AP News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Diplomatic cables show Iran war is damaging US on multiple fronts across the world - Politico - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- The most politically charged World Cup ever puts the U.S. and Iran on a collision course while America co-hosts with neighbors it has tariffed -... - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Trump is savaging allies who criticize the Iran war. But hes treating Joe Rogan very differently - CNN - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- GOP senators urge Trump to find Iran exit plan as energy prices rise: The clock is ticking - Politico - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- White House Declines to Offer Congress an Estimate of Iran War Cost - The New York Times - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- US House rejects war powers resolution aimed at limiting Iran War - BBC - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Why a U.S. blockade on Iran seems to be working - PBS - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Israel starts a tense ceasefire in Lebanon, as Trump sounds optimistic on Iran talks - NPR - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- House narrowly rejects resolution directing Trump to end hostilities in Iran - The Washington Post - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Pakistan Looks to Play Peacemaker Between U.S. and Iran, Again - The New York Times - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- World Insights: Key conservative influencers turn against Trump over Iran - Xinhua - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump says Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium - Le Monde.fr - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- It's time to start thinking about the post-Iran war market environment: Lombard Odier - CNBC - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- House effort to end Trump's war with Iran fails by one vote - NBC News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Pete Hegseth says Iran is digging out missiles and launchers - NBC News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Opinion | Iran is dangling its favorite kind of deal. Will Trump bite? - The Washington Post - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Behind the bluster, Donald Trump desperately needs a peace deal with Iran. Here's a solution | Rajan Menon - The Guardian - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- It's Not Working: Diplomats Fear Trump's Iran Envoys Are Making Things Worse - Time Magazine - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump says the economy is thriving 'despite our little diversion' in Iran - NBC News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump says it is important for Pope to understand Iran is a global threat - Reuters - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- What role is China playing in the Iran war and how is it affected? - Al Jazeera - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump Bets Economic Pain Will Finally Force Iran to Reopen Strait - WSJ - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Hegseth says US is locked and loaded to finish job of destroying Iran energy grid - The Guardian - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump touts tax tips policy in Vegas, says Iran war is going 'swimmingly' - USA Today - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- We watched 2 focus groups of Georgia swing voters. They're not happy with the Iran war - NPR - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Caine warns "we will use force" if Iran does not comply with blockade on Strait of Hormuz - CBS News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- What mines has Iran laid in the strait of Hormuz and how can the US remove them? - The Guardian - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Banned AI-generated Iran propaganda videos using Legos have gone viral - MS NOW - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Ben Jennings on the US-Iran war and AI slop cartoon - The Guardian - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- House Republicans block measure to rein in Trump on Iran as floor debate gets heated - MS NOW - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Opinion: Donald Trump finally made a smart move against Iran. It just might end the war - The Globe and Mail - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Trump says Iran war "close to over" as Pakistan pushes for new peace talks - CBS News - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Done and Dusted? Trumps Portrayal of the War in Iran Collides With Reality. - The New York Times - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- For Iran, Hormuz Is More a Weakness Than a Weapon - Foreign Affairs - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- CPI Report Live Updates: Inflation Surges as the Effects of Iran War Show in Prices - The New York Times - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Theres growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse - NPR - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Vance warns Iran against 'trying to play' US as he heads to Pakistan for peace talks - BBC - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Middle East crisis live: Vance warns Iran not to play US as he heads to Pakistan for talks - The Guardian - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Trump started the Iran war with 5 goals. How far has he gotten? - The Washington Post - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Trump says Iran doing a very poor job in reopening the Strait of Hormuz - NPR - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Trumps Strategic and Moral Failure in Iran - The New Yorker - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- VP Vance to lead U.S. team in Iran peace talks. And, Artemis II to return to Earth - NPR - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- The Costs of Trumps Iran-War Folly - The New Yorker - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Trump fumes as Iran retains choke hold on Strait of Hormuz ahead of peace talks - The Washington Post - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Iran ceasefire: Not an off-ramp for the US but a life-saving ejection seat - Al Jazeera - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran negotiations as Trump casts doubt on ceasefire | First Thing - The Guardian - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Fact-checking Trump and Hegseth's claims of U.S. 'victory' in the Iran war - PBS - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Vance Faces a High-Profile Test of His Negotiating Skills With Iran Talks - The New York Times - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Well-timed bets on Polymarket tied to the Iran war draw calls for investigations from lawmakers - NPR - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- S&P 500 is about to wipe out Iran war losses. Why stocks are more optimistic than oil - CNBC - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Pete Hegseths holy war: the militant Christian theology animating the US attack on Iran - The Guardian - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Iran enters peace talks emboldened but wounded, and wary of Trump - NBC News - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Pakistan emerges as a key international player as it mediates between US and Iran - The Times of Israel - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Starmer Says He's 'Fed Up' With Trump as Europe Splinters From U.S. Over Iran War - Time Magazine - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]