US President Donald Trump has claimed credit for the pressure being placed on Qatar by Gulf neighbors who accuse it of supporting terrorism in the region.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Yemen, Libya’s eastern-based government and the Maldives have all cut diplomatic and other ties with Qatar.
According to BBC News, Mr. Trump said he was told during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia that Qatar was funding “radical ideology”. He added that the visit was “already paying off”.
Mr. Trump’s speech in the Saudi capital Riyadh, in which he blamed Iran for instability in the Middle East and urged Muslim countries to take the lead in combating radicalization, is seen as likely to have emboldened Gulf allies to act against Qatar.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE gave Qatari nationals two weeks to leave, banned their own citizens from travelling to Qatar, and cut all transport links.
