Both Iran and Qatar on Saturday voiced support for Saudi Arabia over a suicide bombing near Islam’s holiest site in Mecca despite their severed ties. “Iran… as always expresses its readiness to assist and cooperate with other countries to confront these criminals, who deal death and ignorantly spread hate,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said. … Read more
The White House said Friday it considers the deepening crisis in the Gulf to be primarily “a family issue,” urging regional leaders to chart a way out while offering US help in enabling talks. When asked about a list of demands placed on Doha by Saudi Arabia and its allies as the price for lifting … Read more
The United Nations on Friday offered to step in to help resolve a deepening crisis in the Gulf after Qatar was confronted with a list of demands from its neighbors, including the closure of Al-Jazeera television. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this week had been adamant that Kuwait was best placed to lead efforts to … Read more
The United Arab Emirates on Friday warned of “divorce” with Qatar unless it takes seriously a list of demands including the closure of Al-Jazeera television, as a diplomatic crisis drags on. Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s state minister for foreign affairs, issued the warning more than two weeks into the oil-rich region’s worst crisis in years. … Read more
Four Arab states have sent Qatar a list of 13 demands it must meet if it wants them to lift their sanctions. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are asking the Gulf state to shut down its broadcaster, Al Jazeera. They are also asking Qatar to reduce ties with Iran and close … Read more
A US air strike has killed a regional Al-Qaeda leader and two associates in Yemen’s Shabwa province, a jihadist stronghold in the south, the Pentagon said Thursday. Abu Khattab al-Awlaqi was emir for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Shabwa, responsible for planning and conducting attacks against civilians, the US military’s Central Command said in … Read more
Iran is shipping more than 1,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables to Qatar every day after Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia cut relations with Doha, Fars news agency reported Thursday. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are among several countries which announced on June 5 the suspension of all ties to Qatar over what … Read more
The United Arab Emirates runs at least two “informal detention facilities” in Yemen and has reportedly transferred detainees to a base in Eritrea, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led military coalition that entered Yemen’s conflict in 2015 to battle on the government’s side against Iran-backed Huthi rebels. … Read more
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday congratulated Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom he discussed the thorny diplomatic row between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, including Riyadh. “The president and the crown prince committed to close cooperation to advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across the Middle … Read more
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have drawn up a list of demands to be presented to Qatar, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday, amid a regional diplomatic crisis. “We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable,” Tillerson said, two weeks after Riyadh … Read more
The Al-Saud dynasty gave its family name to the Gulf Arab monarchy of Saudi Arabia ruled by the sons of founder Abdul Aziz bin Saud. The Al-Sauds trace their origins to the 1700s, when Saud bin Mohammad reigned as a local sheikh in the central Arabian peninsula, the birthplace two centuries later of the only … Read more
Qatar on Tuesday accused “neighbouring countries” that have cut ties with Doha of being responsible for the alleged hacking attack on state media which began the current diplomatic crisis. Attorney General Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri said the case “is very clear” that the cyber attack emanated from “countries responsible for the siege”. “We have evidence … Read more
The United States is “mystified” that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have failed to present details justifying their embargo on Qatar, the State Department said Tuesday. Signaling Washington’s mounting frustration at Riyadh’s role in the crisis, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called on the parties to settle their differences. And she called into question … Read more
Due to the current Gulf crisis, Qatari farmers living in Saudi Arabia have been forced to trek back to their homeland with their sheep and camels, after being given a two week deadline to leave the kingdom Around 12,000 camels and sheep have become the latest victims of the Gulf diplomatic crisis, being forced to … Read more
Turkey is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to mediate the crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries, but experts say the results could be limited due to its one-sided pro-Doha stance. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has just concluded a whirlwind tour of three Gulf nations, including Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as part of Turkey’s … Read more
The Arabic-language account of Al Jazeera has been restored on Twitter after being suspended due to what the network called “an organised campaign”. The account, with just under 12 million followers, was suspended for an unspecified reason early on Saturday. Al Jazeera is the flagship broadcaster for Qatar, which is under pressure from its Gulf … Read more
Turkey’s foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks aimed at resolving the Gulf diplomatic crisis, as Qatar accused its neighbours of imposing a devastating “siege” on the emirate. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and others severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar almost two weeks ago, accusing Doha of supporting … Read more
Turkey’s foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks aimed at resolving the Gulf diplomatic crisis, as Qatar accused its neighbours of imposing a devastating “siege” on the emirate. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and others severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar almost two weeks ago, accusing Doha of supporting … Read more
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks in Saudi Arabia on Friday with King Salman, continuing efforts to resolve the Gulf’s biggest diplomatic crisis in years. “the meeting was positive”, but there were no specifics. Riyadh, the UAE, Egypt and others severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar almost two weeks ago, accusing Doha of … Read more
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks in Saudi Arabia on Friday with King Salman, continuing efforts to resolve the Gulf’s biggest diplomatic crisis in years. “the meeting was positive”, but there were no specifics. Riyadh, the UAE, Egypt and others severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar almost two weeks ago, accusing Doha of … Read more