Qatari prime minister and US military chief discuss defense cooperation

Their meeting focused on Qatari-American ties in the military and defense fields. (QNA)
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Updated 02 December 2025
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Qatari prime minister and US military chief discuss defense cooperation

  • Talks focus on strategic relations, including support and enhancement of bilateral military and defense ties
  • Qatar and the US last month opened a bilateral air-defense command post, the first of its kind in the region, at Al-Udeid Air Base near Doha

LONDON: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, held talks with Adm. Brad Cooper, the recently appointed commander of US Central Command, in Doha on Tuesday.

Their meeting focused on strategic relations, including support and enhancement of Qatari-American ties in the military and defense fields. They also discussed other topics of mutual interest, the Qatar News Agency reported.

Prior to his appointment in August this year as the chief of Central Command, beginning in December 2023 Cooper headed operations Prosperity Guardian and Poseidon Archer in the southern Red Sea in response to attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen on international shipping.

Early last month, Qatar and the US opened a bilateral air-defense command post, the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East, at Al-Udeid Air Base near Doha, which is Washington’s largest military facility in the region and hosts the forward headquarters of the Central Command.


US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

Updated 5 sec ago
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US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

  • High-level talks in Jordan, Israel part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability, US mission says
  • Envoy will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees

NEW YORK: US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz begins a trip to Jordan and Israel on Saturday to promote President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, the US Mission to the UN said, casting the visit as part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability and support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Waltz will travel from Dec. 6–10 and is expected to meet senior leaders in both countries. In Jordan, he will hold talks with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on bilateral cooperation and Amman’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees, the mission said.
In Israel, Waltz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to discuss US-Israel coordination at the UN and shared security priorities. He will tour Israel’s northern and southern borders for briefings on the implementation of Resolution 2803, visit the Kerem Shalom crossing to assess aid flows into Gaza, and review operations of the Coordination and Monitoring Mechanism for Gaza.
Waltz will also meet Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov to discuss humanitarian work and efforts to advance peace.
The mission said the trip reflects Trump’s commitment to ending regional conflicts and securing a “peaceful and prosperous future” for the Middle East.