Trump accuses Qatar of being ‘high level' terrorism sponsor
U.S. President Donald
Trump on Friday accused Qatar of being a "high level" sponsor of
terrorism, potentially hindering the U.S. Department of State's efforts to ease
heightening tensions and a blockade of the Gulf
nation by Arab states and others.
"The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been
a funder of terrorism at a very high level," Trump told reporters at the
White House.
"So we had a decision to make, do we take the easy road
or do we finally take a hard but necessary action. We have to stop the funding
of terrorism. I decided ... the time had come to call on Qatar to end its
funding," Trump said, adding that he
helped plan the Qatar action with Arab leaders after a recent
summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A senior administration official told Reuters earlier this
week that the United States had no indication from the Saudis or Emiratis in
Riyadh during Trump's visit last month that they would sever ties with Qatar.
The crisis is a major diplomatic test for the United States,
which is a close ally of countries on both sides. Trump has called key players
in the region since they severed ties with Qatar on June 5.