Foreign minister of Iran and his Qatari counterpart spoke by telephone on Monday night after Saudi Arabia and a number of others broke off relations with Qatar in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Persian Gulf Arab states in decades.
In the telephone conversation, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed the latest regional developments following the abrupt decision by Saudi Arabia and its cohorts to suspend diplomatic relations with Qatar.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, the Maldives and a number of others cut off diplomatic ties with the Doha government, saying they will suspend air, sea and land transport with Qatar. They have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region.
Qatar has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless."
Qatari citizens have been told they have 14 days to leave Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, and those countries also banned their own citizens from entering Qatar.
Qatar shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia and relies heavily on importing food.
Meanwhile, an Iranian official announced Monday that food shipments sent from Iran can reach Qatar in 12 hours by ship.
Qatar’s foreign minister has made it clear that “the strategic choice of the state of Qatar is to solve any dispute through dialogue.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has also called for a "clear and explicit dialogue" among the feuding nations. Iran says rising tensions among its Persian Gulf neighbors threaten the interests of everyone in the region.
