| “ | Please don't have him sign the guest book. | ” |
– Selina
| ||
Mohammed bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Jaffar is the Qatari ambassador and a recurring character in seasons 5 and 6 of Veep. He becomes a love interest for Selina, although she is mostly interested in him for his luxuries and connections.
Al Jaffar is based on Yousef Al Otaiba, the RW Emirati ambassador to the US.
Season 5
When Selina imposes sanctions on China after blaming them for a tweet, Al Jaffar appears at her mother's funeral to tell Selina that the Chinese would be open to indirect talks because the sanctions are undermining their fragile economy.
In Inauguration, Selina, concerned with her legacy, insists to al Jaffar that the Tibet deal be accelerated so the region is freed before she leaves office. Tibet is freed minutes into Laura Montez's presidency.
Season 6
Selina and Jaffar reconnect at the funeral of Jaffar's uncle. The ambassador comes to the former president's rescue in Sudan when her plane's engines are damaged due to wild animals crawling inside them. She makes free use of his plane, his palace and his yacht to conduct trade negotiations with the Chinese and return to Sudan for another photo-op with a women's rights dissident in Sudan. Jaffar interrupts Selina's plans to condemn female genital mutilation at a human-rights conference, however, because a key Sudanese warlord is there. Jaffar then informs Selina that their relationship cannot continue, because his father could never accept her because she is white.
Jaffar appears again, unexpectedly, at Gary's birthday party at his family's home in Alabama, where Selina is in attendance. Jaffar explains that since his father is dead, and the new emir is "more chill" about sexual relationships, they can get back together. Selina is more interested in Jaffar's friend Quartie, who can make a substantial donation to her library fund. "I'm learning so much about her," Jaffar remarks when Selina, trying to impress Quartie, tells the crowd a (stolen) story about her first rabbit-hunt with her father.
Speeding Selina around New York in a yellow Lamborghini, Jaffar urges her to leave the country with him, and makes preparations for them to go to Paris. He tells her he always has a fully fueled plane standing by, because he has cousins "who get very angry at your tall buildings." He calls Selina 'eni ("my eyes").
For their six-month anniversary, Jaffar gives Selina an elaborate gold bracelet, which he says his grandfather bought for his wife with the money from his first major arms deal. He helps Selina dodge uncomfortable questions from reporters by speeding her off in his Ferrari. However, when Selina decides she can run for president again, she has to dump Jaffar, telling him she can't afford "baggage." Jaffar infers she means "Muslim baggage," meaning in effect Selina is using the exact same reason he used for dumping her six months prior.