Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

After years of trying to isolate Qatar, Saudi crown prince to visit the country

After years of trying to isolate Qatar, Saudi crown prince to visit the country

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Qatar Wednesday in a sign of improving relations between the two Gulf countries.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Qatar on Wednesday in a sign of improving relations between the two Gulf kingdoms years after he helped impose a blockade of the tiny but hugely rich nation.

The visit, which follows a declaration in January by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf countries to ease the yearslong rift, is a big climbdown for Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, who spearheaded the effort to isolate Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremist groups in the region.

“It shows to a large extent the crisis amongst the Gulf states has more or less been addressed,” said Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank in London.

The office of Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, tweeted that he would meet with the crown prince Wednesday evening in Doha.

The crown prince’s visit to Qatar and tour of the Gulf also speak to a Saudi effort to position him as a regional leader and signal that while he is still a persona non grata in much of the West, that is not the case in the Gulf, he said.

“The Saudis are trying to portray MBS as someone quite different from the image that he generated for himself in the Trump years,” he added, referring to the crown prince by his initials. “They’re showing someone who can work with others, someone who eventually will be king and will be capable of behaving as a king should.”

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar in 2017, separating families and businesses and shattering Gulf unity. The four countries alleged that the Qatari government supported groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, and accused it of close relations with the regional foe, Iran.

The embargo complicated American foreign policy in the Gulf as it frayed ties between important U.S. allies and security partners.

Qatar has deftly expanded its political influence despite its small size, which frustrated the traditional regional dominance of Saudi Arabia. Qatar is home to a major U.S. military base, it hosted U.S.-Taliban talks, and in recent months played an outsize role in American efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan.

The Saudi crown prince’s visit is part of a wider tour of Gulf Cooperation Council member states, also including Oman, Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait.

The tour has already turned out to be lucrative as Omani and Saudi firms signed 13 memoranda of understanding valued at $30 billion and comes ahead of the annual summit of the six-nation council this month, according to Reuters.

Qatar’s emir has already visited Saudi Arabia since the agreement to thaw relations was reached in the Saudi desert city of Al-Ula in January.

This time, however, it is the crown prince, widely seen as the power behind the Saudi throne, who will be the guest, a symbolic difference in a region where hosting is an indication that you approve of your guest, said Michael Stephens, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London.

“This marks a very important step in ending the tensions once and for all,” he said.

After a decade of confrontation no one country, or group of countries, has emerged as a winner in the Gulf and they now face similar economic challenges such as the decarbonization of the global economy and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, said offering an explanation for the thaw in relations.

The crown prince’s tour comes after French President Emmanuel Macron became the first major Western leader to visit Riyadh since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

In February, the Biden administration released an intelligence report that concludes that the crown prince approved the gruesome killing. The crown prince has denied any involvement.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
×