Iranian destroyer docks in Doha along with Clinton 20, February 2010
Posted by thegulfblog.com in American ME Relations, Iran, Qatar.Tags: Clinton in Qatar, Hilary Clinton, Iran Navy, Naqdi Destroyer, Qatar-Iran relations
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Two Iranian naval ships, one destroyer and one warship, docked at Doha’s port at the invitation of the Qatari Navy. Iran’s Press TV commented on the maneuver with the usual line about how it was part of the close relations between Iran and Qatar owing to their shared border, close historical bonds, shared concerns etc etc.
It is far more interesting to note that the Qatari Navy invited these Iranian warships to Doha at the same time as US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was in Doha castigating Iran for descending into ever more of a dictatorial, militarized and repressive state. This is a perfect example of Qatar playing the delicate game of international diplomacy. One might also be tempted to draw interesting inferences from the fact that it was ships from Iran’s regular Navy and not ships from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard that docked in Doha.
The Gulf blog 
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