Gulf States Squeeze Qatar as US, Kuwait Probe for Solution to Row

Gulf States Squeeze Qatar as US, Kuwait Probe for Solution to Row
Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha, Qatar on June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
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DOHA—Gulf states cranked up the pressure on Qatar on Thursday as  President Donald Trump and Kuwait’s emir worked to end an Arab row that Qataris say has led to a blockade of their country, an investment powerhouse and supplier of gas to world markets.

With Trump offering to help resolve the crisis, possibly with a meeting at the White House, the United Arab Emirates cut postal links to Qatar, and close Saudi ally Bahrain reiterated a demand that Doha distance itself from regional foe Iran.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and several other countries severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha on Monday, accusing it of supporting radical Islamic terrorists and their arch-foe Iran—charges Qatar says are baseless.

Normally guarded about politics, Qataris expressed outrage.

“It is a blockade! Like that of Berlin. A declaration of war. A political, economic and social aggression,” a Qatari diplomat said. “We need the world to condemn the aggressors.”

With food and other supplies disrupted and worries mounting about deepening economic turbulence, banks and firms in Gulf Arab states were seeking to keep business links to Qatar open and avoid a costly firesale of assets.

A shop with a picture of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani is seen in Doha, Qatar onJune 6, 2017. (REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon)
A shop with a picture of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani is seen in Doha, Qatar onJune 6, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon