Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon considered the Qatar diplomatic crisis as important as the United States' confrontation with a nuclear-armed North Korea.
He confirmed that the peninsula’s funding of terror groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas places it on the top of international concern.
"I think the single most important thing that's happening in the world is the situation in Qatar," Bannon said at the Hudson Institute. "What's happening in Qatar is every bit as important as what's happening in North Korea."
Bannon expressed support for the group of countries, led by Saudi Arabia, that cut ties with Qatar in June after Doha financially assisted terrorist groups. He also said Qatar must be held accountable for potentially assisting the Muslim Brotherhood and "radical terrorism."
Bannon, who submitted his resignation last August, said the Saudi-led boycotting bloc of four has a well-established plan as to dry up terror funds being pumped to radical groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The former White House official said the plan put forth for implementation across the four countries could successfully eradicate terrorism.
He highlighted US President Donald Trump’s focus on eradicating terrorism in the Middle East through local efforts, saying the Trump presidency made it clear that regional responsibility has to answer to such a challenge.
However, Bannon reiterated Washington’s willingness to present unlimited support for that matter—which was manifested in the efforts to liberate Iraq’s Mosul.
More so, Bannon hailed the few months Trump has spent in office to have made unprecedented progress concerning anti-terror efforts.
Bannon noted that Trump's new policy in Afghanistan is to protect US national security and that Washington is committed to spreading democratic values, equality and peace.
He also repeated his displeasure with what he called the political elite. Their actions were just as rhetorical as speeches by former US president George W. Bush and Republican Senator John McCain going against Trump’s foreign policy.
