Iran thinks Qatar and Russia could be key to energy success

Iran is gambling that the shift to renewable energy will not move quickly and will let it make some profits in the medium term.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani receives Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Doha, Qatar, February 21, 2022. (photo credit: QATAR NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani receives Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Doha, Qatar, February 21, 2022.
(photo credit: QATAR NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Iran and Qatar hope to cement new energy ties and grow existing ties in the wake of a recent visit by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi was in Doha this week and the countries signed several bilateral cooperation deals on Monday. 

According to Al-Jazeera “Qatar and Iran signed bilateral agreements in the first visit by an Iranian president to Doha in 11 years, during which Raisi will attend a gas exporters summit on Tuesday.” Raisi said that “we have today expanded our cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, infrastructure, culture and food security.”

Raisi is also looking to build new ties with other Gulf states. This is because Iran also senses a new nuclear deal is coming that could transform its role in the region. “Before heading to Qatar, Raisi expressed hope his visit would boost ties with other Gulf Arab states and stressed Iran’s status as a major oil and gas producer and founding member of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum,” said Al-Jazeera.  

According to the reportsת Iran, Russia and Qatar have large gas reservoirs, Iran's oil minister Javad Owji told Reuters on Tuesday. It appears Iran not only wants to back Russia in recent tensions with the West but that it also hopes that Qatar and Iran can achieve. Profits off the Ukraine crisis.  

Tasnim News in Iran had a report on how the countries together own 56 percent of the world’s gas reserves. According to Iranian media, this makes them a kind of “golden triangle” that can dominate the world. Markets. “If the three countries, in a strategic agreement, reach a consensus on the macro policies of the global gas market, they will be effective in orienting the world's energy future,” Tasnim says. 

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi stand during a welcome ceremony in Doha, Qatar, February 21, 2022. (credit: QATAR NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi stand during a welcome ceremony in Doha, Qatar, February 21, 2022. (credit: QATAR NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

“The consensus of the world's three largest holders of gas reserves becomes doubly important when we consider this point: Gas will be the world's leading energy supplier for at least the next 20 years.

Estimates show that global gas demand will not decrease over the next 25 to 30 years, but due to the clean (low carbon) fuel, we will see an annual and continuous increase in global gas demand,” Tasnim notes. That means that Iran is well-positioned to work with Qatar to exploit the needs of the region and the world.

Iran is gambling that the shift to renewable energy will not move quickly and will let it make some profits in the medium term. The emerging bilateral ties of Qatar and Iran, as well as both countries working with Russia, have major implications for the region.