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| Donald Trump appears to back Saudi Arabia in Qatar stand off with Gulf states | Donald Trump appears to back Saudi Arabia in Qatar stand off with Gulf states |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Donald Trump has appeared to side with Saudi Arabia in its diplomatic stand-off with Qatar, referencing his recent trip to the Saudi capital of Riyadh in which he vowed to end support for Islamic extremism. | |
| "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!" the US president tweeted on Tuesday. | |
| Saudi Arabia, along with Gulf neighbours the UAE and Bahrain as well as Egypt, moved to isolate the tiny kingdom on Monday in a coordinated severing of diplomatic ties. | |
| A statement carried on SPA, the Saudi state news agency, accused Doha of harbouring "terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabilise the region including the Muslim Brotherhood, Isis and Al-Qaeda," as well as alleged Iranian-backed Shia militia activity in east Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. | |
| The suggestion that Qatar is aiding and abetting Shia Iran - the majority Sunni Gulf's arch-rival - is particularly sensitive. The energy-rich country has called the claims "baseless." | |
| Iran, which Mr Trump singled out as a key source of funding and support for extremist groups during a two-day trip to Riyadh last month, is a secondary target of Monday’s decision by Saudi Arabia and its allies. | |
| The US maintains a military base in Qatar home to some 10,000 troops. | |
| In a statement on Monday, US Central Command said that the deepening row - which has effectively shut down Qatar's airspace and land and sea borders - would have no effect on planned US military flights or operations. | |
| More follows.... | More follows.... |