TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian had a conversation over the phone with his Qatari counterpart on Monday, according to a Qatari foreign ministry statement.

In the telephone conversation, the foreign ministers discussed closer relations between Iran and Qatar in various political and economic areas, as well as increase in trade exchanges between the private sectors.

Current issues and developments in the Persian Gulf region and efforts to maintain and better ensure peace, stability and security in the Persian Gulf were other topics discussed by the two foreign ministers. 

Earlier, the Qatari foreign ministry announced that there was a telephone conversation and the two sides had discussed “bilateral cooperation between the two countries” and the latest developments in the region.

The Qatari foreign minister recently said in a statement that a return to a nuclear deal with Iran was in everyone's interest, adding that Persian Gulf countries should stay in touch with Iran. 

Qatar realized that Iran is a reliable neighbor when it came under blockade from land, sea and air by certain fellow Arab states a few years ago.