Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on 22 February that Iran will be opening a trade office in Qatar in the near future.

His remarks came upon his arrival in Tehran after a two-day visit to Doha for a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). This marked Raisi’s first visit to Qatar and his fourth foreign trip since taking office in August of last year.

During the visit the Iranian president and Qatari officials discussed issues regarding the removal of customs obstacles and the issuing of business licenses.

Raisi said that the industry ministers of both countries have begun working towards the removal of economic and investment barriers between Iran and Qatar.

“The trip was in line with [Tehran’s] neighborly diplomacy, with the two main goals of increasing mutual trust and cooperation with neighbors and [expanding] Iran’s share in the region’s economy and trade,” Raisi said.

At the GECF summit, Iran and Qatar signed 14 major bilateral agreements, including deals on economic cooperation and a deal to cancel the visa requirements of passengers traveling between Iran and Qatar.

The Iranian president also announced during the summit that the Islamic Republic, one of the world’s largest holders of natural gas reserves, has the capacity to supply the world with gas.

He referred to the Washington’s imposition of harsh economic sanctions on Iran saying that they are “no longer effective,” and urged the close cooperation of the gas exporting countries of the world.

This comes at a crucial time, as sanctions-removal talks between Iran and western nations have reportedly entered their final phase in Vienna.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on 22 February that the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the US and Iran is close. He added, however, that several issues remain to be solved.

“So far, we’ve taken lots of initiatives and shown the required flexibility at the Vienna negotiating table … We’re saying very clearly to them that ‘now it is your turn’. It is time to see initiatives and flexibility from the western side,” Abdollahian said.

“The United States must prove its will to lift major sanctions,” Raisi said in Doha during a joint news conference with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.