Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with the visiting Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during which the Leader called for increased political and economic cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Leader emphasized that regional problems can be solved through dialogue among regional countries without any interference of “foreign factors.”

“The issues of Yemen and Syria can be also solved through dialogue. Of course, dialogue should not be undertaken from a weak position at a time that the opposite parties, mostly the United States and others, rely on military and financial power,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that management of the region does not need any meddling by foreign parties, adding, “Wherever Zionists go, they foment corruption and can give no power or concession to [regional] countries.”

“Therefore, we, as regional countries, must boost our relations as much as we can through common thinking and cooperation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Confirming the Qatari Emir’s remarks in which he condemned the crimes committed by the Zionist regime, the Leader described decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people by “evil Zionists” as a bitter reality and a blow to the Islamic world and the Arab world.

“In the face of these crimes, the Islamic Republic of Iran expects the Arab world to take explicit political action,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

Referring to Israeli forces’ attacks on the restive Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the occupied Palestinian city of al-Quds, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The support offered by some Arab countries to Palestinian people in that case did not even match up to [the support offered by] some European [countries] and they took no [decisive] position. Even now, they are still acting like that.”

“If this approach taken by Arab countries is out of fear of the Zionist regime or having hopes in it, they must know that today, the occupying regime is in conditions that nobody can have hopes in or be afraid of it,” the Leader said.

The Qatari Emir, for his part, said the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Palestine are horrible and must be confronted by all regional countries.

Expressing regret over the Israeli killing of a Palestinian journalist on Wednesday, he said, “Zionists  committed this crime in cold blood.”

Earlier in meeting with Qatari Emir, President Ebrahim Raisi said the crimes committed by Israel, including the recent killing of a Palestinian journalist, do not bring the regime security and only cause it to be loathed more by people of the region.

During the presser, Iran’s chief executive touched on the killing of the Palestinian journalist by the Israeli forces while covering the latest attacks by those forces on Palestinians, expressing his condolences on her martyrdom.

“Such crimes do not bring security to the Zionist regime, but increase public hatred toward the regime,” Iran’s president said.

He added that his condolences over the killing of the Palestinian journalist were extended to all journalists around the globe, who convey the voice of the Palestinian people to the world.

“Such crimes [that are committed by the Zionist regime] will not continue for long,” Raisi said.

In another part of his remarks, Iran’s president negated all forms of foreign presence in the West Asia region, especially by Western countries.

“Such [foreign] presence does not bring security to the region, but on the contrary, undermines it,” he added.

“During our talks, we discussed major regional issues, especially the issue of Yemen,” Iran’s president said, adding, “We emphasized that the blockade of Yemen [by the Saudi-led military coalition] must end and Yemenis must be allowed to decide the fate of their country.”

Raisi added that another highlight of his talks with the Emir of Qatar was the situation of Afghanistan, noting that the country must have an inclusive government representing all groups and political factions, so that sustainable security could be established there.

The two leaders, Raisi said, also laid emphasis on the need for the liberation of the occupied al-Quds, and end to the brutal siege of Gaza, and termination of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.

Iran’s president said the two sides emphasized the expansion of relations in all sectors, including politics, economy, trade, culture, tourism, and energy

Joint investment between Tehran and Doha and the implementation of mutual agreements reached during Raisi’s recent visit to Qatar were other highlights of his discussions with the Emir of Qatar.

Iran’s president noted that the Qatari Emir’s visit will be a turning point in the two countries’ relations and will play a very important role in boosting mutual cooperation at regional and international levels

The Emir of Qatar, for his part, said the two leaders discussed major bilateral issues and all-out expansion of cooperation in all fields during their discussions.

Al Thani said the two sides agreed that resolution of the current problems facing the region is only possible through dialogue and negotiations.

“The existing problems in the region must be settled through constructive dialogue,” he said, adding that the two sides also discussed the ongoing situation in Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

The Emir of Qatar also consoled with the family of the slain Palestinian journalist.

“The killers of [the Palestinian] journalist must be held accountable,” the Qatari Emir said, emphasizing that  no double standards must be applied in dealing with this issue.

He added that the cause of Palestine is the main issue of the region, noting that this issue must be resolved in a comprehensive manner, addressing all its aspects.

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“If we declare that Iran is our enemy, and our only path to the outside world – by air, sea, and land is Iran, because the border with the surrounding Arab countries is closed, should we commit suicide afterwards by not dealing with Iran because the Saudis say I should not,” he said.

“Qatar had a very different position on Syria than Iran, which supported President Assad. When the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked by the demonstrators in 2016, Qatar withdrew its ambassador from Iran in solidarity with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“If you go to the UAE, the official figure is a few billion dollars, but informally, 10 or 20 billion dollars are exchanged between Iran and the UAE in terms of oil,” he said. “This is not done by Qatar, but by the UAE, which accuses us of terrorism with Iran.”

He also criticized Saudi Arabia for its accusations of terrorism and the kingdom’s share of responsibility for the Syrian crisis.

“This wound is deep, meaning the [Persian] Gulf province of his country, harming both sides. There are families that have been divided between the two countries, and there are brothers who cannot see each other, mothers who cannot see children, and children who cannot see the parents.”

On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on it, claiming Doha supports terrorism. Doha denies this and accuses the quartet of seeking to impose its guardianship over its national decision.

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