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Qatari Emir First Persian Gulf Leader to Call Iranian President-Elect By Phone

DOHA, June 25 (Sputnik) - Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has become the first Persian Gulf leader to speak with Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi by phone, the QNA news agency reported on Friday.
Sputnik

Last week, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced that chief justice Raisi won the election with nearly 62%. The turnout totaled 48.8%, which is the lowest in the country's history.

According to the agency, the Emir of Qatar wished Raisi "success and prosperity." They also discussed bilateral ties and ways to further develop them.

Unlike the neighboring Persian Gulf states, which have not maintained diplomatic relations with Tehran in recent years, Qatar has established close ties with Iran since 2017 after neighboring countries led by Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on the emirate over allegations of meddling and sponsoring terrorism.

Iran was the only country in the region that maintained economic ties with Qatar during the crisis.

The Qatar row was overcome in January, when the Saudi-hosted 41st summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council adopted a declaration on restoring unity among the Gulf countries.

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