TEHRAN – Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has issued a stark plea to the United States and Israel to abandon threats of military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, describing such escalation as a direct threat to regional survival.

In an interview with American Journalist Tucker Carlson published on Friday, the Qatari leader warned that strikes would trigger “a war spreading across the region” and unleash an “environmental catastrophe” endangering millions.

“If Washington signs off on an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, expect retaliation,” the PM declared, emphasizing that military action would destabilize U.S. strategic interests in West Asia.

Beyond geopolitics, the PM underscored the ecological apocalypse such an attack could unleash.

Contamination from struck nuclear sites, such as the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would cripple desalination infrastructure, leaving arid Persian Gulf states without drinkable water.

“It’s not just Qatar—Kuwait, the UAE, all of us face this risk,” he said, adding that environmental security is a unifying regional priority.

“Without clean water, Qatar would run dry in three days. This isn’t hypothetical—it’s existential,” he said.

U.S. intelligence agencies, as reported in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal in February, “warned” the Trump administration that the Israeli regime is likely to attempt strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year, potentially increasing the risk of a wider regional war.

In response to these threats, Iranian officials have sounded the alarm, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating on Saturday that "an attack on Iran could turn into a widespread fire in the region.

“This is precisely an Israeli plan to drag America into war, and America is extremely vulnerable if it enters a war in the region. They [the Americans] know it,” the Iranian top diplomat added.

Last month, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, warned that a devastating response would follow any strikes on Iranian nuclear sites: "The fire we ignite in the region will be of unquantifiable scale and scope."

Strategic partnership: gas, geography, and unity

Tehran and Doha co-manage the South Pars/North Dome natural-gas condensate field, the world’s largest, which the PM called “non-negotiable for regional energy security.”

He added, “Iran is our next-door neighbor—just 120 miles across the [Persian] Gulf. You can reach them by boat in 90 minutes. Our partnership transcends politics.”

While reiterating Doha’s opposition to nuclear weapons, he argued, “Peace requires working with neighbors, even when challenges arise.”  

He also mentioned recent diplomatic engagements between Iran and Qatar.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Tehran for high-level discussions with Iranian officials in February.

During his trip, he met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and President Masoud Pezeshkian to strengthen bilateral ties and address regional developments.

His visit followed Iranian President Pezeshkian’s landmark visit to Doha in October 2024.

The trip, the first by an Iranian leader to a Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Arab state in over a decade, yielded agreements to boost bilateral trade to $1 billion and enhance nuclear safety collaboration.  

The PM hailed these efforts as “huge progress,” rejecting claims that Qatar’s engagement undermines U.S. alliances.

“Our friendship with America is rooted in mutual respect, not dictates,” he said. “But stability requires Iran’s inclusion.”