Qatar hosted a bipartisan congressional delegation led by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

In Qatar, the senators met with His Highness  the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where they discussed the importance of U.S. security relationships with the Arab Gulf, including joint efforts to counter ISIL and deter Iran from destabilizing the region, particularly after its recent ballistic missile tests in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolutions.

The delegation also met with His Excellency the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

“In the Gulf region, strong bilateral relationships enhance our ability to confront the shared threat of extremism represented by ISIL and to fully monitor Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, so that Iran never becomes a nuclear weapons state,” said Senator Cardin. “We share a narrative, which is that we seek peace and opportunity to improve the lives of our citizens and to keep the region free from Iranian meddling.”