A top US diplomat to the Middle East confirmed that relentless efforts are being spent by Washington to bridge the rift between Arab states and Qatar to form a united regional force that would stand in the face of Iran's malign agenda.
David Schenker, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, confirmed that solving the dispute between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE on one side and Qatar on the other side has gained great attention from the Trump administration.
Schenker said the US has been speaking with all sides but that the key players still had issues dividing them.
In a press conference attended by Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday, Schenker denied that the US administration exerted pressure on the Arab states or requested they end the conflict before the upcoming US elections slated for November.
“As for the Gulf rift, this has nothing to do with solving it before the US elections. There is an enormous amount of high-level attention on this issue. It is a priority for the administration. We think that the Gulf rifts serve no one’s interests except for Iran’s,” Schenker said.
“We think that it puts money in the pocket of the regime in Tehran by Qatar being forced to pay over-flight fees to the regime. It also puts Qataris and those who are flying on Qatar Airways in danger. We saw what happened when the Ukrainian jet that was shot down over Iran a few months back,” he added.
Schenker pointed out that normalizing ties with Israel was not the whole of his overall discussions with the leaders of Kuwait and Qatar during his visit to the region, but stressed that the need for Gulf unity is constant and pressing.
“The Gulf dispute only serves the interests of our adversaries and harms our mutual interests. We have important work to do together, and we want to see the parties involved resolve this dispute. Now more than ever it’s imperative that the GCC unite against regional threats. It’s time for all Gulf nations to find the unity needed to confront the challenges they face,” he said.
“This is particularly important when it comes to countering Iran’s malign influence in the region. Last month we saw a powerful step forward when the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council asked the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo against Iran, highlighting the importance of the collective strength of the united Gulf that’s needed for the sake of advancing greater peace and security,” he added.
