The US President Donald Trump, who called for unity in the Gulf but sided with Saudi Arabia in his tweets has called the Emir of Qatar and has offered to mediate for a diplomatic solution to resolve the ongoing issue. A released White House statement says, “President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Amir Sheikh Tameem bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar. The President emphasized the importance of all countries in the region working together to prevent the financing of terrorist organizations and stop the promotion of extremist ideology. The President reiterated that a United Gulf Cooperation Council and a strong United States-Gulf Cooperation Council partnership are critical to defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability. The President offered to help the parties resolve their differences, including through a meeting at the White House if necessary.”

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday over long-standing allegations that Doha is courting Iran, which they deem the region's biggest external threat, and supporting Islamist groups, seen as the biggest internal danger. The four countries also cut transport links to tiny gas-rich Qatar, disrupting food and other supplies and deepening uncertainty about the future of trade and investment ties. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told Reuters that there would be more economic curbs on Qatar if necessary and said Doha needed to make ironclad commitments to change what critics say is a policy on funding Islamist militants.

While Qatar is a small oil-producing country in the Gulf, it is the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and of extreme importance to importers like Japan, South Korea, and India.