TEHRAN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani visited Iran on Saturday to discuss regional peace and stability, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani met with the Qatari minister, Baghaei told reporters in a press conference.
The meetings were "in continuation of the good offices offered by and consultations among the region's countries regarding regional developments, and aimed at exchanging views on protecting peace and stability in the region," Baghaei said.
The top Qatari diplomat reiterated his country's "support for all efforts aimed at reducing tensions and achieving peaceful solutions that enhance security and stability in the region," Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"He also stressed the need for concerted efforts to spare the peoples of the region the consequences of escalation and to continue coordination with brotherly and friendly countries to address differences through diplomatic means," it added.
On Saturday night, Larijani said in a post on social media platform X that "the formation of a structure for negotiations (with the United States) is progressing," but did not provide further details.
The developments came amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States, with the latter bolstering its military presence in the Middle East, although publicly holding out the possibility of diplomacy.
Tehran has said it prefers diplomacy to war, but will respond decisively to any act of aggression.
Also on Monday, Baghaei strongly condemned recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, particularly those targeting the country's southern region.
Israel's "military aggressions" against Lebanon were in "flagrant violation" of the United Nations Charter's fundamental principles and "clear instances of war crimes," he said. ■
