Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Indonesia on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) signed an agreement in Doha to bolster defence cooperation and strengthen their defensive capabilities.

The ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding’ was signed by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, his Turkish counterpart Yasar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy PM and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari, the Turkish defence ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the Badr pact, which seems to be named after the site of the first major military engagement between the early Muslims and the tribes of Makkah in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

The development comes months after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an attack against one of the countries will be treated as an attack against all of them.

“In a step that reflects the commitment to strengthening joint cooperation and developing strategic partnerships, the ‘Badr’ multilateral memorandum of understanding was signed in the Qatari capital,” Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said in a post on X.

It said the pact “aims to foster cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing, enhance defence capabilities among the four countries, and promote collaboration in technical defence training and research and development fields, thereby contributing to the creation of solutions and industries befitting the development of modern defences.”

This agreement “holds significant economic importance for the signatory countries, as it will leverage each country’s capabilities in defence manufacturing, achieving cooperation, integration, and the development of defence industry capacities to meet the needs of allied and friendly nations,” the Qatari Defence Ministry said.

The development comes amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region and indications that the U.S. might be preparing for another round of fighting with Iran.

An explosion tore through Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial area late on Sunday (June 21, 2026), injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 others missing.

Ras Laffan is home to Qatar’s main export terminal for its natural gas sales. It was targeted by Iran in the war and has been shut down for weeks afterward.

Qatar said the blast happened after workers tried to restart facilities there at the Barzan plant.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry announced the explosion earlier, but at first said only a few people had been hurt.

QatarEnergy said ‌an “operational incident” on Sunday (June 21, 2026) at ​Ras Laffan, ⁠site of the country’s core LNG processing operations, resulted in ‌an explosion and fire at the ‌area’s Barzan gas ‌plant.

The ⁠Qatari energy producer ⁠said the fire was brought under control but it did ​not indicate ‌whether the explosion had caused any damage to the plant, which supplies ‌gas to the ​domestic market.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said several people ⁠were injured due to the explosion, which it attributed ‌to a “technical accident”. It said there was no leak that “poses a threat to public safety”.

A Reuters witness earlier ‌reported that a loud ​boom was heard in the capital Doha, south ⁠of the Ras Laffan ⁠facility. 

Iran should not use the Strait of Hormuz, which it has blocked since the start of the West Asia war, as a means to blackmail Gulf states, Qatar’s top diplomat and premier said on Tuesday (May 12, 2026).

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was speaking during a press conference in Doha with Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan — close allies who have emerged as key intermediaries in the Iran-U.S. talks alongside mediator Pakistan.

Iran-U.S. war: Follow LIVE updates on May 12, 2026

“Iran should not use this strait as a weapon to pressure or to blackmail the Gulf countries,” the Qatari Minister said.

Mr. Fidan also said the strait must not be “used as a weapon”, according to an Arabic translation of his Turkish comments.

Gulf countries have borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks during the war, with Tehran targeting U.S. assets but also civilian infrastructure, airports and energy facilities.

Its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas usually passes, has also halted crucial maritime exports for the energy-rich Gulf, straining their economies.

Highlighting Qatar’s growing role in peace talks, Sheikh Mohammed said a visit he made to the United States in recent days sought to bolster mediation efforts to end the war.

“The visit focused primarily on supporting the Pakistani diplomatic efforts and ensuring a positive response to these efforts to reach a solution as quickly as possible,” he said.

Ankara has been in close contact with Qatar and other Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait, “particularly regarding the ongoing negotiations”, Mr. Fidan said.

Qatar said on Sunday (March 22, 2026) six people have been confirmed killed in a Qatari helicopter crash in the Persian Gulf nation’s territorial waters.

The Interior Ministry said one person is still missing from the crash, which took place the day before.

The Defence Ministry blamed “technical malfunction” for the helicopter crash. The Interior Ministry’s statement didn’t clarify the nationality of the dead or say if they were civilian or military.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry said the ‌helicopter had crashed after suffering a ‌technical ​malfunction during “routine duty”.

While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the West Asia war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

(With AFP, AP, Reuters inputs)

The United States, Israel and Qatar held a trilateral meeting in New York Sunday (December 7, 2025), a senior White House official told AFP, months after Israeli jets conducted an airstrike in Doha, unsuccessfully targeting Hamas leadership.

The White House official confirmed that the meeting had taken place but did not provide any further details.

Also read: Hamas says Israel’s Qatar attack won’t change Gaza ceasefire demands

Two sources told U.S. news outlet Axios it was “the highest level meeting between the countries since the deal to end the war in Gaza, for which Qatar served as a key mediator.”

Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and an unnamed senior Qatari official in attendance.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, helped broker a comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which remains delicate as both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching its terms.

On Saturday (December 6, 2025), Qatar and Egypt both called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilization force to fully implement the fragile agreement to end the conflict in Gaza.

Speaking at a diplomatic conference in Doha, Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said “a ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is full withdrawal of the Israeli forces (and) there is stability back in Gaza.”

Axios reported that the main focus of Sunday’s meeting was largely “on the implementation of the Gaza peace agreement.”

Also read: Qatar says hopes to push Hamas, Israel to next talks phase ‘very soon’

The Israeli strike on Doha on September 9 unsuccessfully targeted top Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayra and others in the Palestinian militant group.

The strike instead killed six people and sparked a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Axios said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later called Mr. Al Thani from the White House “at Trump’s urging, to apologize for the strike.”

Pakistan cancelled a potential military action against Afghanistan at Qatar’s request last month, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday (November 29, 2025).

Mr. Dar was addressing a press conference where he talked at length about Pakistan’s concerns and expectations from Kabul.

“The Qatari Foreign Ministry came to know that we were moving towards taking action (against Afghanistan). Then Qatar requested for a solution to the problem and mediation, after which the operation that was going to be carried out that night was stopped,” Mr. Dar said, referring to tensions with Kabul last month.

He said that nothing could come out of a mediation, and Qatar was not happy that its mediation effort remained fruitless. 

“It is not appropriate to talk about a friendly country, but they (Qatar) are now upset that they got mediation done and no result could be achieved,” Mr. Dar said.

He also urged the Afghan Taliban to reconsider their policy as they were now running the country.

“The Afghan Taliban will have to reconsider their policy since they are in power. We don’t want anything from them; we are ready to do anything, but since their government came to power, our 4,000 officers and soldiers have been killed, and over 20,000 injured. So how can I say that ‘let us close our eyes (towards Afghanistan)’?”

He also warned that Pakistan has the power and capability to fix the issues of militancy emanating from Afghanistan.

“Because these (violent incidents) are not decreasing, but are increasing. It is their delusion that we cannot solve it. Allah has given Pakistan the strength to act on it and make things right, but it is also not right that we go to our brother’s house and enter and kill him,” he said.

Mr. Dar also shared details of his visits to Russia, Bahrain and other countries and stressed that peace in Afghanistan is necessary for peace in the region. “We told Afghanistan not to allow terrorism from its soil, the European Union supported Pakistan’s position on Afghanistan,” he said.

He claimed that Pakistan was sending back Afghan refugees with dignity and wished for development for the people of Afghanistan.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.

The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said on Friday (November 28, 2025) that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.

Speaking about the conflict in Gaza, Dar said that Pakistan was ready to provide troops for Gaza, but it would not be part of efforts to disarm Hamas.

“We are not ready for that. This is not our job, but of the Palestinian law enforcement agencies. Our job is peacekeeping, not peace enforcement,” he said.

“We are definitely ready to contribute to the force — the Prime Minister has in principle already announced after consultation with the field marshal that we will contribute — but this decision cannot be taken until it is decided what its [International Stabilisation Force] mandate and TOR (terms of reference) will be.”

The establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) was part of the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, and the UN Security Council (UNSC) last week adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which also authorises the ISF for the Palestinian enclave.

Pakistan has indicated plans to become part of the ISF and a decision is likely in the coming weeks, but it has now clarified that being part of ISF does not mean becoming part of efforts to disarm Hamas.