US President Donald Trump on Friday urged Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to resolve their differences with Qatar and present a united front against Iran.
Trump spoke separately with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Trump told them that unity among Washington’s Arab partners was essential to promoting regional stability and countering the perceived threat of Iran, the White House said as cited by RFE/RL.
The leaders “discussed the [alleged] continued threat Iran poses to regional stability”, it said.
Trump said on Thursday he was willing to step in and mediate the dispute between Qatar and other Persian Gulf Arab states, and he thought a deal could come quickly.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain in June cut diplomatic, trade, air and shipping ties with Qatar, which is home to the Persian Gulf’s biggest US military base.
The Saudi-led group of Arab states said Qatar was too close to Saudi archrival Iran and too lenient on extremists, accusations that Doha denies. Trump is fighting for his survival to deflect attention from his domestic, regional and foreign woes, including his plunging approval ratings, intra-Republican disputes, disagreements with neighbors and lack of strategy for tackling the Korean crisis.
