'Unfounded': Qatar PM dismisses claims he snubbed Vance after viral Switzerland talks video

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday dismissed reports suggesting that he snubbed the US Vice President JD Vance, describing such claims as "unfounded".

In an interview to Al Jazeera, Al Thani said he and the US Vice President spent several hours together during the course of the talks and worked closely as partners.

His remarks come after a video from the talks at the Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne went viral on social media, prompting speculation about an alleged diplomatic slight involving the Qatari premier, Vance and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The footage, widely shared on X, appeared to show Al Thani greeting Sharif while the US Vice President stood nearby.

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Some social media users interpreted the interaction as a snub, claiming the Qatari leader had ignored Vance in favour of greeting the Pakistani prime minister first.

However, none of the governments involved publicly characterised the incident as a diplomatic slight, and no official statement was issued regarding the clip.

Rejecting the speculation, Al Thani said reports of any snub were inaccurate, noting that he and Vance had spent hours together during the negotiations and maintained close coordination throughout the process.

The footage emerged from a high-level quadrilateral meeting involving the US Iran, Pakistan and Qatar as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to advance a framework aimed at ending the conflict in West Asia.

The meeting brought together senior officials from Washington and Tehran for a fresh round of negotiations after the two sides agreed last week to a preliminary deal establishing a two-month negotiating process.

The American delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, while Iran was represented by parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Pakistan and Qatar participated in the talks as mediators.

With inputs from agencies