Qatar warns region 'close' to point where Iran war escalation cannot be controlled

Qatar on Tuesday warned the war in the Middle East was close to a threshold where it cannot be controlled after US President Donald Trump set a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have been warning since 2023 that escalation left unchecked will get us into a situation where it cannot be controlled and we are very close to that point," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.

"This is why we have been urging all parties to find a resolution to find a way of ending this war before it's too late," he added.

Trump said Monday that "the entire country" of Iran "could be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow" if his ultimatum to reopen the strait by 0000 GMT Wednesday was not met.

Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvos from Iran over recent weeks in response to US and Israeli strikes that began at the end of February.

Iran has targeted hydrocarbon infrastructure in the oil-rich Gulf nations while effectively closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to shipping, through which one-fifth of global oil usually passes.

Al-Ansari said Qatar faced dangers over food, water and environmental security, explaining: "We are still at the threshold of all of these challenges."

"We hope that we can remain there and we are able to walk back from there to a more safe environment. But obviously we are quite concerned with all that is happening right now."