Qatari, Iranian FMs Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Efforts

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi receives  his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran on Monday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi receives his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran on Monday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Qatari, Iranian FMs Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Efforts

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi receives  his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran on Monday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi receives his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran on Monday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran’s new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks in Tehran on Monday with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani on efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

The officials also discussed bilateral relations between Tehran and Doha and means to bolster them in various fields, reported Qatar’s state news agency QNA.

The officials stressed the importance “of ending the Israeli forces' crimes against Palestinians, the war on the Gaza Strip, and the terrorism practiced by settlers in the West Bank, to spare the region the risks of escalation.”

Araghchi said Israel is seeking full-scale conflict in the region, the Iranian Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.

He welcomed Qatar’s mediation efforts to end the war, underlining Tehran’s support for any agreement accepted by the Palestinian resistance parties, including Hamas.

The FMs exchanged views on developing and bolstering ties between Tehran and Doha. They also discussed regional and international issues of common interest.

Sheikh Mohammed also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The FM conveyed to the president the greetings of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his wishes to the Iranian people to achieve more development and prosperity.

The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation relations, developments in the region, and ways to maintain the region's security and stability.



Kuwait Picks New Finance and Trade Ministers in Cabinet Shuffle

Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
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Kuwait Picks New Finance and Trade Ministers in Cabinet Shuffle

Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)

Kuwait has named Nora Suleiman Al-Fassam and Khalifa Abdullah Ajeel as its new finance and trade ministers respectively, as part of a cabinet shuffle, according to a decree issued by the country's Emir on Sunday.
Al-Fassam, who was also appointed minister of state for economic and investment affairs, is a banker with extensive experience in corporate finance and investment banking.
She most recently served as chief strategy officer at Kuwait's Sharia-compliant Boubyan Bank, according to the country’s news agency, KUNA.
According to the bank’s website, the new minister has over 23 years of practical experience in corporate finance and investment banking services.
Al-Fassam also worked for several government and private entities, such as the Public Investment Authority and the National Bank of Kuwait.
She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Kuwait University.
The new trade minister, Ajeel, headed Kuwait's State Bureau of Financial Control and was a member of the board of commissioners at the Capital Markets Authority.
Kuwait retained Mahmoud Bushehri as minister of electricity. But Bushehri lost the portfolio of Minister of State for Housing Affairs, which was offered to Abdullatif Hamed Hamad Al-Meshari.
The reshuffle comes a few days after a power crisis that led the Gulf state to impose scheduled outages in parts of the country due to a disruption in gas supplies although Kuwaiti officials have indicated there will be no further outages after the first wave in June.
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply.
During the summer, temperatures in Kuwait typically exceed 50 degrees Celsius leading to increased power consumption amid demand for cooling.