DOHA, Qatar — President Donald Trump urged Qatar on Wednesday to use its influence over Iran to persuade the country’s leadership to reach an agreement with the U.S. to dial back its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Trump, who is visiting the Gulf nation as part of a three-country Mideast swing, made the appeal during a state dinner held in his honor by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar, over the years, has played the role of intermediary between the U.S. and Iran and its proxies, including during talks with Tehran-backed Hamas as its 19-month war with Israel grinds on.

“I hope you can help me with the Iran situation,” Trump said during remarks at the formal dinner. “It’s a perilous situation, and we want to do the right thing.”

Trump wants Iran to stop backing militant proxy groups

The appeal to Qatar came after Trump told leaders at a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting earlier Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that he wants “to make a deal,” but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the Mideast as part of any potential agreement.

The U.S. and Iran brokered a nuclear deal in 2015, during Democrat Barack Obama’s administration, in which Iran agreed to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and only enrich up to 3.67%. But that deal was scrapped during the first Trump administration.

Today, Iran enriches up to 60%, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, and has enough stockpiled for multiple nuclear bombs should it choose to build them.

The Qatari emir told Fox News Channel on Wednesday night that “we agree that we want a nuclear-free region, and we cannot afford a nuclear race in that region.”

But, Al Thani said, “Iran has its right to have a nuclear — a civilian nuclear power, while not also representing any challenge or any threat for anyone in the region.” He said the issue needs to be resolved diplomatically.

The U.S. and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month about the country’s nuclear program. Trump has said that he believes brokering a nuclear deal is possible but that the window is closing.

At the state dinner, he called on Iran’s leadership to “get moving” or risk the situation spiraling into a head-on conflict.

“Because things like that get started and they get out of control,” Trump said. “I’ve seen it over and over again. They go to war and things get out of control, and we’re not going to let that happen.”