Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut ties with Qatar on 5 June and issued their demands on 22 June. Another key demand is the closure of a Turkish military base in Qatar set to give Turkey a new foothold in the Gulf. Turkey sees Qatar as its top Gulf ally but is also keen to improve relations with regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia. Riyadh and its allies want Doha to downgrade its warm diplomatic ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia’s key regional rival. When Saudi Arabia closed the emirate’s only land border—vital for its food imports—Iran shipped in tonnes of fruits and vegetables.

Source: Mint July 03, 2017 06:45 UTC