DOHA – Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has cautioned that any military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could devastate the Gulf region by contaminating its waters and endangering millions in Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.
The three Gulf nations, reliant on desalination for drinking water, could face a catastrophic water crisis if an attack were to occur, Sheikh Mohammed warned. “No water, no fish, nothing … no life,” he stated, emphasizing the dire consequences of such an action.
Amid heightened tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Iran while continuing his “maximum pressure” strategy to economically isolate Tehran. However, Iran’s supreme leader has rejected any talks under duress, denying ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.
Sheikh Mohammed underscored the need for diplomacy, warning that military escalation would ignite a broader regional conflict. “Qatar will never support a military strike … we will push for a diplomatic solution until the very end,” he said in an interview with conservative U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson, released on Friday.
Citing past assessments, Sheikh Mohammed revealed that Qatar had evaluated its vulnerability in the event of an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, determining that its potable water supply could run out in just three days. In response, the nation has constructed 15 of the world’s largest concrete water reservoirs to safeguard against such a crisis.
He also pointed out that some Iranian nuclear sites are geographically closer to Doha than to Tehran, adding to Qatar’s concerns. Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, located in Bushehr on the Gulf coast, further underscores the regional risks.
Although Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, it also maintains strategic ties with Iran, with whom it shares the world’s biggest gas field.
Trump’s previous withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, followed by the reinstatement of sanctions, led Iran to exceed the agreement’s nuclear restrictions—further escalating tensions in the region.