West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Jun 2017 20:52

https://twitter.com/crimesofbrits/statu ... 8349985793

Video. Qadhafi had warned qatar in 2011. Karma

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 07 Jun 2017 21:00

Russians monitoring situation. From Foreign ministry:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on June 5, on Qatar’s initiative.

The sudden surge in tensions between Qatar and a number of other Arab countries was the main subject of discussion.

Mr Lavrov expressed grave concern over this latest source of tension in the Arab world and appealed for efforts to overcome the differences through negotiations and mutually respectful dialogue in the face of challenges of unprecedented gravity, above all the terrorist threat.



ldev · Post by **ldev** » 07 Jun 2017 21:01

Iranian Foreign Minister to visit Turkey Wednesday

So the alignments are becoming clearer. Turkey + Iran with Russia in the background.

Spoke a short while ago to a local (non Qatari) in the region. He got stuck in Doha while on a business trip. Even the locals are surprised at how quickly things have escalated. There used to be poster here with a handle called Shyam?? He used to have some ground information from the region. Wonder where he is??

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Jun 2017 21:13

JUST IN: Iran's revolutionary guards say Saudi Arabia was behind deadly attacks in Tehran - statement https://t.co/WiYtd5ypVH

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 07 Jun 2017 21:26

Singha wrote:
pgbhat wrote:Turkey to fast track legislation approving troop deployment in Qatar - officials
Turkey definitely has the military and jihadi clout ...and iran the location for food and water ..to jointly protect qatar. These two estranged biraders.. inheritors of old civilization states are far cleverer than saudis in general.

Erdogan would be keen to show the gcc it is he and not prince salman who is the supreme power in sunni kabila

Only one sith can rule..it is never a duopoly.

Iraq could use this bhaichara between ottomans and persians as a stick to beat a better deal out of barzani

Why would turkey side with shias in this case against their sunni biraders?

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 07 Jun 2017 21:27

Philip wrote:Saudi invasion imminent! Kuwait trying to defuse the situ.Will the Qataris succumb to Saudi blackmail? Wioll the Iranians step in if the Saudis invade?

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/32139/53/
Saudis issue 24hr Ultimatum for Qatar to comply to 10 demands, or else...
...
He added that if tension escalates, some have warned of a "military confrontation".

No need to get excited, this too will fizzle out like the NoKo "crisis". Major KLPD onlee.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 07 Jun 2017 21:42

abhik wrote:
Philip wrote:Saudi invasion imminent! Kuwait trying to defuse the situ.Will the Qataris succumb to Saudi blackmail? Wioll the Iranians step in if the Saudis invade?

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/32139/53/
No need to get excited, this too will fizzle out like the NoKo "crisis". Major KLPD onlee.

Since US does not have to bring body bags home, this time we will see some action. (Does the bijli bomb of today on Iran count??). I hope Iran does not retaliate in India like they did last time on Israel, attacking Israeli diplomat's car as they did in 2012.
But the silence US establishment or the lack of effort to douse the fire reeks of close involvement.
Let's wait for primetime on UBCN

vinod · Post by **vinod** » 07 Jun 2017 21:47

If it kicks off, I'm not so sure US can stay out of it. Oil and Gas prices will rocket up. It will get very messy very quickly. Reality TV president will find it difficult to stay out of the limelight.

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 07 Jun 2017 21:50

^^^^
I thought US is self-sufficient in oil.

vinod · Post by **vinod** » 07 Jun 2017 21:53

May be.. but NATO allies are not. Middle east is too important to be left to Iran and Russia. They are fighting over Syria, so what to say over the whole Persian gulf!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Jun 2017 22:10

>> Why would turkey side with shias in this case against their sunni biraders?

erdogan wants raw power and leadership, not the robes of a khalifa. he will ally with whoever gives him a route to that.

btw i do hope EAM has activated contingency plans and all the C17s, IL76 and C130s are being brough to full readiness. airlines also need to be warned that planes might need to be requisitioned. I dont think we can evac 600,000 people even by ships in a reasonable time though.

vinod · Post by **vinod** » 07 Jun 2017 22:17

A travel advisory warning should be sent out to tell all the non-essential citizens to get out of the region, especially the families and children, senior citizens and other business visitors. Won't go down well with GCC states.

The school year has started in India, so it will not be easy for all of them to transplant very quickly.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Jun 2017 22:26

Haidar Sumeri‏ @IraqiSecurity 8h8 hours ago
Several Sunni groups based in Pakistan have carried out terror attacks in Iran for a long time with funding from... you guessed it... Saudi.

Haidar Sumeri added,
Haidar Sumeri @IraqiSecurity
Da'ish have most likely managed to entice (Jundallah, Jaysh Al-'Adl etc.) terrorists from Baluchistan and build terror cells inside #Iran.

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 07 Jun 2017 22:58

... Oil and Gas prices will rocket up. It will get very messy very quickly. Reality TV president will find it difficult to stay out of the limelight.

KSA is selling its petro refining assets (not the crown jewel though) in an IPO in 2018. Sale of course organized by the chosen ones, as always. Hope this not a crude joke to raise the prices of assets and increase the value of total value of proceeds.

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 07 Jun 2017 23:13

ldev wrote:Iranian Foreign Minister to visit Turkey Wednesday

There used to be poster here with a handle called Shyam?? Wonder where he is??

the super GCC
- drawer of red lines

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Jun 2017 23:24

Correction to Russian "concern":

The sudden surge in tensions between Qatar and a number of other Arab countries was the main subject of .

AoA! I am hoping my Natural Gas portfolio, which has been in the dump for the past 3 years, will finally show some signs of life when Qatar burns.

But seriously, if the Qataris say BOO!! to the Invading Armies of Islam from Riyadh, the major danger is that they will have to clean up all the pakistan left by said Forces as they run backwards.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Jun 2017 23:29

The hacker who put in the original report in Al Jazeera about the King and the Minister's donkey in the stables, should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 07 Jun 2017 23:30

Thinking IF Qatar survives this crisis, the next thing they are gonna do is BUY more Shiny toys

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Jun 2017 23:38

Right. Quatari F-22s can wipe out KSA's F-15s - and then KSA can buy more F-22s.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Jun 2017 23:43

Reuters:

SINGAPORE/DUBAI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi port authorities have eased restrictions on oil tankers going to and from Qatar, according to industry sources and shipping circulars seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Authority issued a new circular on Wednesday removing previous restrictions on non-Qatar owned, flagged or operated vessels sailing to and from Qatar. ..But given there are few Qatari-flagged or owned vessels, this is unlikely to have as big an impact on the market as the previous circular, the shipbroker added. Reuters reported on Wednesday two very large crude carriers (VLCCs), which can each carry up to 2 million barrels of oil, loaded Abu Dhabi grades on Wednesday, despite having taken Qatari crude in an earlier leg of the voyage. .. On Wednesday, Saudi's Ras Tanura oil port issued a notice stressing the restrictions issued earlier by the Saudi Ports Authority, according to a copy seen by Reuters. ...(Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan, Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore, Rania El Gamal in Dubai and Reem Shamseddine in Khobar; Editing by Dale Hudson)

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 07 Jun 2017 23:43

in that case we can ask them to gift the rafales to us..

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Jun 2017 23:51

Big money in debris removal and urban reconstruction.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 07 Jun 2017 23:53

Something in it for cheen then.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 07 Jun 2017 23:57

Al Jazeera English‏Verified account @AJEnglish 56m56 minutes ago
More
BREAKING: US President tells Emir of Qatar Washington is ready to participate in solving Gulf crisis.

lets see how US helps in crisis with Tillerson asking Sunni Gulf to stay together while Trump tweeting 'when I asked Saudi not to fund terrorism they pointed towards Qatar, Look!'
Chaotic and confusing leadership..

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 08 Jun 2017 00:02

Straight from horse's (never mind). Al Jazeera FAQ

On May 23, Qatar woke up to news of a hack attributing false statements to the emir of Qatar. The fake news was aired on several UAE and Saudi-owned networks in the Gulf. This sparked a series of diplomatic breakdowns between the GCC countries.

The latest developments include severing of diplomatic ties between three Gulf states and Qatar, an embargo imposed on Qatar, with air, sea and land borders shut down, and Qatari diplomats and residents expelled from those Gulf countries.

Here is a breakdown of the latest diplomatic crisis and what it entails for the region.

What is the GCC?

GCC stands for Gulf Cooperation Council. This is a political and economic alliance of countries in the Arabian peninsula. These are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1981 and its aim is to enhance cooperation and close relations among its members.

READ - Qatar diplomatic crisis: All the latest updates

When did Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut ties with Qatar?

The announcements came in the early morning (5:50am, or 02:50 GMT) of June 5, 2017. Bahrain was the first to announce the severing of ties, it was followed shortly after by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt made their announcements within 10 minutes.

A few days later, Jordan also announced that it will scale back its diplomatic ties to Qatar and shut down the Al Jazeera bureau in Amman.

Why are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cutting ties with Qatar?

The four countries have cited their concern over the security and stability of their nations, claiming that Qatar works to support "terrorism" and to meddle in the internal affairs of its brethren in the GCC.

What does the cutting of ties entail?

The severing of ties as a diplomatic concept usually entails a recall of diplomatic representatives and the closing of diplomatic missions by the country that is taking the step. The country initiating the move can also ask the diplomatic representatives of the other party to leave their country. This is usually utilised by governments at times of serious complications in relations between states.

OPINION: The GCC will ride out the storm

In the case of the current Gulf crisis, several other dimensions have been added. Bahrain and Egypt both gave Qatari embassies 48 hours to implement their respective departure orders, while recalling their own diplomats and charge d'affaires.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia gave Qatari citizens who are residents in or visiting the UAE two weeks to depart. They have also ordered their citizens in Qatar to return.

Saudi Arabia went further, withdrawing Qatari troops from the ongoing war in Yemen, in which Saudi Arabia is leading the campaign.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt closing land, air and sea passage to all vessels and vehicles coming from or going to Qatar.

What was Qatar's response to this?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar responded to the announcements yesterday, saying that there is "no legitimate justification" for the actions taken by the four countries to sever diplomatic relations. It added that the decision is a "violation of its sovereignty" and that it will work to ensure that it does not affect the citizens and residents of Qatar.

Which countries are with Qatar?

This question isn't entirely accurate; it would be more a matter of what countries have severed their diplomatic relations with Qatar.

To date, these are the countries that have severed relations: Bahrain, Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, the Khalifa Haftar government of Libya, the internationally recognised government of Yemen

There are 94 diplomatic missions still open and operating in Qatar, one representative office, and 34 countries that maintain their diplomatic relations with Qatar via a regional accredited embassy.

How long will Qatar's border stay closed?

Nobody knows how long the land, air and sea boundary closures will remain in effect, as they have been implemented by the four countries mentioned above, and have not been reciprocated by Qatar.

READ MORE: Who is Qatar's emir?

What are the roots of this conflict?

There was a previous diplomatic rift in 2014 between Qatar and other Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain pulled out their diplomats claiming that Qatar supported armed groups. However, the border remained open and Qataris were not expelled.

Tensions with Qatar have generally revolved around its alleged support for political Islamic movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as complaints about the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is based in Doha.

These tensions were possibly exacerbated by the Arab Spring in 2011, when Saudi Arabia and Qatar were seen as backing different sides.

On June 7, the Saudi foreign minister said that Qatar must cease its support of groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

"We want to see Qatar implement the promises it made a few years back with regard to its support of extremist groups, to its hostile media and interference in affairs of other countries," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Paris.

Is the GCC going to survive?

Kuwait's emir is mediating between the GCC countries involved in the current dispute. The emir is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to attempt to bridge the gap. According to Giorgio Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC, both Kuwaitis and Omanis believe that an escalation of the conflict could be detrimental to the future of the GCC.

We heard on the news that there was no food left in Doha?

There was a short panic yesterday as residents of Doha were worried about the effect of border closures on food supplies. The Qatari cabinet issued a statement saying that there was no need to worry, and today the situation appears to have calmed, although pictures of fully stocked supermarket shelves were less exciting and are only slowly making the rounds.
WATCH: Qatar faces embargoes as biggest regional diplomatic crisis in years escalates (3:08)

What are the consequences for people living in Qatar?

In response to the closing of borders, people in Qatar flocked to supermarkets to stock up on food just in case the fallout drags on. There was also a surge of people at currency exchange kiosks, but the banks in Qatar seemed to be unfazed. Bank managers reported nothing out of the ordinary.

Qatar's estimated $335bn of assets in its sovereign wealth fund, along with its newly expanded port that allows it to continue exporting natural gas and importing sea goods, the small Gulf nation could weather the sanctions.

Qatar's main stock index fell more than seven percent.
Due to their heavy reliance on oil and gas exports, the GCC states maintain weak trade and investment ties with each other, which will limit the economic effects of their dispute.

Can Qatar Airways fly over Saudi airspace?
No. Qatar Airways flights will be taking an easterly route to fly only over airspace that is open to them.
Are flight routes affected?
According to Alan Peaford, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Magazine, Qatar Airways' flight routes will be the most disrupted if Gulf airspaces are closed off. He added that there are two main air routes in and out of Qatar - over Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with the latter controlling most of the Gulf airspace.

"The real problem would be if airspace closes. Not just for Qatar Airways passengers, but also for cargo, like food and fresh fruit that is flown into the country," Peaford told Al Jazeera.

Is Iran using this as an opportunity to gain Qatar as an ally?

Following the borders shutdown, Iran offered Qatar food shipments. Reza Nourani, chairman of Iran's union of agricultural exporters, said these transfers can reach Doha in 12 hours.

Several Iranian officials have called for dialogue and mediation. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Bahram Ghasemi, said that the tensions would only threaten the interests of everyone in the region.
According to Mahjoob Zweiri, a Middle East expert at Qatar University, a lengthy dispute may empower Iran in the region, especially if the tension between the Gulf countries escalates.
How is the Trump administration involved?
The GCC rift does follow Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met leaders of the Arab world. The night before Trump's visit, the former US defence secretary, Robert Gates, offered a scathing assault on Qatar, criticised its support for "Islamists".
The speech was delivered at a high-profile Washington conference, where Gates said, "Tell Qatar to choose sides or we will change the nature of the relationship, to include downscaling the base".
After the dispute, the White House stated that Trump wants to help sort out the diplomatic rift.
Trump later on tweeted about the dispute, alleging that Arab leaders pointed to Qatar as the source of funding for extremism.
Is Israel involved?
The only statement to come out of Israel regarding the situation was from Israel Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman who said the split between the Gulf countries "opens possibilities for cooperation in the battle against terrorism" as it shows "that even in the Arab states they understand that the danger is not Zionism, but terrorism".

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 08 Jun 2017 00:04

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 027784.cms
India seems to have decided to stick with Sunni side in Gulfistan..

Iran hits back at India, inks gas field deal with Russian firm
Iran has signed a basic agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom for development of Farzad B gas field, discovered by a consortium of Indian state-run companies, in an apparent retaliation against India's bid to pressure Tehran+ for a formal deal by cutting purchase of Iranian oil.
The two sides have missed several deadlines even after oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan's visit to the country last year. India has blamed Iran's flip-flop over the terms of the delay, while Tehran holds the Indian consortium's offer as "unsatisfactory".
As reported by TOI, miffed with the delay, New Delhi asked its refiners to reduce oil imports from Iran by a fifth. India is Iran's key oil buyer. Iran hit back by reducing the payment window from 90 days to 60 days for Indian refiners. National Iranian Oil Company also cut the discount on ocean freight it offered to Indian buyers from 80% to nearly 60%. India had stood by Iran through the sanctions and continued to buy Iranian crude after seeking a US waiver.
Iran was considering the option of inducting companies from other countries to replace the Indian consortium or relegate it to developing a small part of the offshore field.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 08 Jun 2017 00:07

Conflict News‏ @Conflicts Follow
BREAKING: Turkish Parliament has approved legislation allowing troops to be deployed to military base in Qatar - @DailySabah

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 08 Jun 2017 00:37

Saudi Minister Refuses to Condemn Tehran Shootings

So much so for inter - Ummah unity in the world of Malsi. IMO, if not direct, then surely an indirect hand of Saudi Arabia in this terrorist outbreak in Tehran , cannot be ruled out ! Many theorize, that ISIS was originally a "joint venture" of Massa and Saudia, but now appears to have gone "rogue"

PS: IMO, this is a good time for Raheel of "Muslim NATO" and Ex COAS of Pakiland - if he is a man of honour ( and not a man of "whore"!) - to submit his resignation from his annual million plus dollar job and join "domestic politics" in Pakistan

Iran's Guards says Saudi Arabia behind deadly attacks in Tehran: Statement
Reuters.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 08 Jun 2017 00:47

Trump offers to help resolve Gulf crisis, UAE tightens squeeze on Qatar

Trump is more concerned about the US Base in Qatar rather than resolving the crisis. Probably does not have a clue of how Arabs operate! As far as "UAE squeeze" and other reaction is concerned , "this kind of a movie" has been released before. ! After a few months, ( probably with the help of a "Wise Ummah Brother") the "dispute" will be solved and there will be a Big Party to celebrate the occasion

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 08 Jun 2017 01:28

Singha wrote:Qatar has a total of 12 mirage2000 . Even uae alone can roll that up for breakfast

Oh well. At least we'll never again talk about the IAF acquiring those M2ks from Qatar in the mil threads. If the balloon goes up they are likely to suffer the fate of the mighty Egyptian air force in 1967. Maybe we can convince the Qataris to park them in Gwalior for safe-keeping. And then if there is no Qatar left afterwards, we don't have to return them.

Only two things I'm concerned about in this pig-wrestling match are evacuating our people from Qatar and those M2ks. And maybe the oil prices. Otherwise those terrorist supporting barbarians can murder each other for as long as they want. Both the Qataris and Saudis are neck deep in propping up all kinds of jihadi outfits in Syria and everywhere else.

Bart S · Post by **Bart S** » 08 Jun 2017 01:31

This is getting more and more FUBAR for Porkis. Not only are they caught between Saudi and Iran, Saudi and Qatar, US+Sunni and China+Russia, on this one but they are also in the middle of Saudi vs Turkey, which is ironic since apart from China those are the only 2 countries in the world that even let Porkis lick their boots anymore.

May they live in 'interesting times' (as their Cheeni blother would say)

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 08 Jun 2017 01:36

^^ You are talking about the slipperiest turd in the history of human (or subhuman) diplomacy. They got away with 9/11 and in fact came out ahead by milking the Americans for money and military aid, plus ending the post-nuclear sanctions, while still orchestrating the Taliban guerilla war against the US in Afghanistan from their own territory. Not to mention harbouring OBL for 10 years. Compared to that, getting out (or even profiting) from this Qatar squabble will be easy.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 08 Jun 2017 01:39

any one in UAE found posting in favour of Qatar on SM will be imprisoned for 15 years.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 08 Jun 2017 02:09

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... 2dc9de8876

The Latest: Turkey moves to support Qatar with military deal
By Associated Press June 7 at 1:42 PM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Latest on the Gulf crisis after Saudi Arabia and other nations cut ties to Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism (all times local):

9:40 p.m.

Despite the objection of opposition parties, the Turkish Parliament has approved two military cooperation deals with Qatar in an apparent show of support for the Gulf country in its feud with Saudi Arabia and other regional nations.

Legislators in the ruling party-dominated parliament on Wednesday approved allowing the deployment of Turkish troops to a Turkish base in Qatar as well as a deal for the training of gendarmerie force personnel.

The legislation was moved up parliament’s agenda and rushed through the assembly a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced support for Qatar in the feud and criticized other Gulf countries’ moves to isolate Doha.

Turkey and Qatar have developed close ties over the years and reached agreement in 2014 to set up a Turkish military base in the tiny Gulf nation.

Government officials said Wednesday the military would decide on the number of Turkish troops that would be deployed in Qatar and the length of their stay. Previously, officials had said as many as 3,000 soldiers could be sent.

From the Jal-Jeera FAQ link posted above by Ulan Batori:

What are the roots of this conflict?

There was a previous diplomatic rift in 2014 between Qatar and other Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain pulled out their diplomats claiming that Qatar supported armed groups

In March 2014 the other GCC states first pulled out their diplomats accusing Qatar of supporting "armed groups", probably meaning Qutbist MB groups. Following this Qatar negotiated an agreement to base 3000 Turkish troops on its soil in December 2014, probably as an insurance policy. That must have been a red rag to the Saudis who presumed the mantle of Sunni military supremacy in their sphere of influence.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 08 Jun 2017 02:20

by Nachiket
Only two things I'm concerned about in this pig-wrestling match are evacuating our people from Qatar and those M2ks. And maybe the oil prices. Otherwise those terrorist supporting barbarians can murder each other for as long as they want.

How do you get 650,000 Indians in Qatar out? That's about 2000 flights (300-350 passengers each)., I think sea route makes more sense!

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Jun 2017 02:22

LINK

When Qatar's emir visited Turkey in December 2014, the countries set up a bilateral cooperation and consultation group called the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee and forged agreements on military training, the defense industry and deploying Turkish Armed Forces in Qatari territory.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origina ... z4jLrxyo23

And there is even a Wiki Page!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar%E2% ... _relations

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Jun 2017 02:23

So in accordance with a 2014 Defense agreement Turkey is authorizing troops to be sent to Qatar.

That will make KSA pause.

GCC is dead.

2014 agreement with Turkey was due to fear of Iran and turns out Qatar had more to fear from KSA gang.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 08 Jun 2017 02:53

from beginning Saudi & UAE are issuing terse warning to Qtr ..act within 24 hours else..shut down Al Jazeera else...10 point commandment to improve relation with us and every day a minion (like Mauritiana in Africa) joins boycott..
deep inside Saudi know very well if any arm twisting it will be possible only in the acute phase, once the crisis enters chronic smouldering phase it will be a stalemate with Turkey have positioned army in Qtr, Iran supplying food & medicine to Qtr..Iraq likely siding with Qtr (as they have Shite govt at the moment).
It will be impossible for Saudi to take on Iran & Turkey in one go with Russia lurking from behind.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Jun 2017 04:05

So looks like Saudis panicked and issued all these challenges to Qatar and now Turkey, Iran, and Russia are backing Qatar.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 08 Jun 2017 04:47

And KSA and UAE are going to come out of this with Kuwait looking like the superpower in those parts. :LOL
Only Egypt looks worse. Maldives may be a superpower too, but they are not going to sell their Maasi canned fish in Quatar any more. Maybe export more to Pakistan.