Middle East

The US secretary of state has called “inhumane” the sanctions imposed on Qatar by a number of Arab states and expressed concerns over the impacts of the sanctions on trade ties between his country and Qatar. This comes as Washington continues to put considerable efforts into applying illegal sanctions on Iran.

A political commentator says Washington would like to see Iraq’s Kurdistan Region separated from the country.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, dismissed the ‘fabricated’ media reports about his meeting with the IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani.

An Iraqi commander says the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have retaken around 14,000 kilometres of their country’s soil, including nearly 360 villages in western Mosul in northern Iraq, from the ISIS terrorists.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says a referendum on the independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan region will just create more problems for the Arab country in a time when it needs peace and stability more than ever.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned today’s terrorist attacks in the Iraqi town of Musayyib, south of Baghdad, and the holy city of Karbala, in which dozens of “innocent people” were killed and injured.

Iranian intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi, says he is certain that Saudi Arabia is supporting terrorism all around the world.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ratified a law earlier passed by Turkey’s parliament to deploy their troops to Qatar amid a diplomatic rift between Doha and its Persian Gulf neighbours.

Iran’s minister of foreign affairs says terrorists on Wednesday were proxies who attacked what their Saudi masters despised the most, namely the seat of democracy.

Qatar has brought up to 16 tanks out of storage in Doha and put its military forces on highest state of alert in preparation for a potential military incursion by surrounding Persian Gulf states, which have severed their ties with Qatar.

An Iranian political analyst says making enemies is a key trick played by Saudi Arabia to live on.

A senior journalist has published the ten conditions set by Saudi Arabia for Qatar, the fulfilment of which may lead to the normalization of the severed ties between the two Arab states.

Saudi Arabia will not need the terrorists’ backyard anymore. In the new situation, the older brother needs a victim, whose name is Qatar. The mantle of radical Islam fits Qatar gracefully and it could help Saudi Arabia get rid of the heavy charge that it is the source of terrorism.

Saudis have reportedly given Qatar a 24-hour ultimatum to fulfil a number of conditions they set in response to efforts to mediate between the two Arab states.

While Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain have closed their borders and airspace to Qatari airlines, Iran would be the best alternative route for the country’s fights to Europe and Africa.

China’s ambassador to Iran Pang Sen praised the security situation in the Islamic Republic, describing it as one of the most secure countries in the insecure Middle East.

The Philippines has suspended the deployment of its workers to Qatar as the government assesses the situation in the Arab country, Labour Secretary announced on Tuesday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif conferred with many of his Asian and African counterparts on the ongoing rift between Doha and a number of Arab countries.

Leading Arab journalist and political analyst Abdel Bari Atwan says a decision by a number of Arab states to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar may herald new development in the Arab world.

An Iranian official says the Islamic Republic is prepared to increase its food exports to Qatar after the recent rift between Doha and a number of Arab countries, which may influence Qatar’s food market.

Many people in Qatar have flocked to local supermarkets and grocery stores to stock up on food items after waking up to news of Saudi Arabia closing the country’s only land border.

While Russian foreign minister says Moscow will not interfere in an ongoing rift between Qatar and five other Arab states, the US Secretary of State called on the Arab countries to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi says the ongoing rift between Qatar and a number of Arab countries is not in the interests of any country in the Middle East, and Iran's Persian Gulf neighbours should resolve the issue through political means.

An Iranian official says the rift between Qatar and some other Arab countries is the preliminary result of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia and his dance with the House of Saud.

Saudi Arabia and three of its major Arab allies cut their ties with Qatar and expelled its citizens on Monday, accusing it of supporting terrorism and trying to destabilize the Middle East.