US and Qatar Working on Enhanced Defense Pact Following Israeli Strike in Doha

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two nations are ‘on the verge of finalizing’ a new deal with Qatar, which is also hosting Hamas leaders.

Reporters follow Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's address at the media center, during the opening of the 2025 Arab–Islamic emergency summit in Doha on Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP

The United States and Qatar are nearly finished hashing out a new defense cooperation agreement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sept. 15, during a trip through the Middle East.

“We have a close partnership with the Qataris. In fact, we have an enhanced defense cooperation agreement which we’ve been working on and we’re on the verge of finalizing,” Rubio told reporters as he departed Israel for Doha on Monday.