Iran Sends 1,100 Tons of Food to Qatar Daily

Iran is shipping 1,100 tons of fruits and vegetables to Qatar every day after Persian Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia cut relations with Doha.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 the suspension of all ties to Qatar over what they say is its support for extremist groups and its political proximity to Iran, Fars News Agency reported.

 Qatar denies the allegations.

Iran began exporting food to Qatar days later as the unprecedented Arab crisis left the isolated emirate without the land transport links it usually relies on to import food.

Mohammad Mehdi Bonchari, director of ports in Iran’s Bushehr Province, said Tehran was shipping 1,100 tons of food each day to Qatar.

Iran has also flown food to the emirate.

On June 11, Iran’s national airline told AFP that it had sent five planes of vegetables to Qatar.

According to Iran’s Cattle Exporting Association, 66 tons of beef had been exported to Qatar by Thursday, with another 90 tons of beef expected to follow.

Qatar’s airlines have been forced to re-route some of their flights to use Iranian airspace and avoid the newly-banned skies of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. That has increased traffic in Iranian airspace by 17%.

Iran has urged Qatar and Persian Gulf neighbors to engage in dialogue to resolve their dispute.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called for a permanent mechanism in the Persian Gulf to resolve crises like the blockade against Qatar.