Iran’s Rouhani speaks to Qatar ruler after nuclear deal

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said he spoke to the ruler of the Gulf Arab state of Qatar over the telephone on Saturday and expected a nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers would improve relations with neighbours.

“No doubt, deal will lead Iran to closer relations w/ neighbors, esp Qatar,” Rouhani wrote on his official Twitter page.

Earlier, Qatar said it supports the Iran nuclear deal and hopes it will produce a “positive” approach by the Islamic Republic to its immediate region.

“Qatar is one of the first countries to support and encourage settling this issue through peaceful means,” Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah was quoted as saying in a CNN interview.

“This deal might relax Iran and give Iran the confidence that there is no conspiracy theory and will make Iran have (a) better and positive approach toward our region … in Qatar we would like to see the more positive view, which is Iran getting a little bit more relaxed.”

Under the deal agreed on Tuesday between Iran and major powers, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Iran says its nuclear work is entirely peaceful.