Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has said the Gulf nation expects to restore normal liquefied natural gas (LNG) production within weeks, as signs of progress emerge in US-Iran peace negotiations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.QatarEnergy, which operates the world’s largest LNG export facility at Ras Laffan, has seen production largely disrupted since Iranian attacks in early March damaged two LNG production trains and contributed to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.The damaged units account for around one-fifth of the facility’s total production capacity.“Within a few weeks, production will come back to normal, except the damaged facility,” says Al-Thani, cites Bloomberg.“Our teams have been mobilised already for a few weeks. QatarEnergy is preparing for operations to come back to normal as soon as the situation in the strait normalizes.”The company is now preparing to restart operations from the undamaged sections of the plant as diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran continue.Global gas markets remain under pressureThe return of Qatari LNG is expected to help ease supply concerns that have kept gas prices in Europe and Asia above pre-war levels.QatarEnergy suspended LNG production after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28 following a drone attack on its huge Ras Laffan plant.Hormuz reopening key to recoveryAl-Thani also said that establishing a direct communication hotline between Washington and Tehran would be essential for maintaining stability in the Strait of Hormuz and preventing future disruptions to global shipping.“So the hotline’s purpose is to make sure that any ship that gets any type of threat is to be verified by Iran . . . and to let the ship pass safely, he told Financial Times.The reopening of the strategic waterway remains critical for restoring normal energy exports from the Gulf region, with Qatar among the countries most affected by the conflict-related restrictions.