DrSavant, if you want complimentary lounge access when flying AA domestically, then of course you would need status in a foreign oneworld program. Whether QR would be easier for attaining at least oneworld Sapphire status -- versus going for status by crediting to BA or iB, for example -- will depend upon your particular flying patterns. BA requires at least four BA-coded or IB-coded flights; IB has no such flight requirement.

Here's an interesting article from a few years ago discussing why QR flyers might want to seek oneworld status with IB:

https://insideflyer.co.uk/2019/03/qa...f-iberia-plus/