Qatar’s ambassador to the United States on Tuesday had an understated response to President Donald Trump’s tweets abruptly cutting ties with the Gulf state and apparently taking credit for the breakdown of its diplomatic relations with several other nations.
“It’s unfortunate to see these tweets,” Qatari Ambassador Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani told the Daily Beast. “We have close coordination with the United States. They know our efforts to combat financial terrorism and terrorism.”
Earlier Tuesday, Trump appeared to cut ties with Qatar in a series of tweets blaming the nation for the “funding of Radical Ideology.”
“Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!” Trump tweeted. “So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off.”
His posts came as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and cut diplomatic ties with the Gulf state, which hosts a major U.S. military base.
CNN reported late Tuesday evening that Russian hackers planted a fake news story on Qatar’s state news outlet that contributed to the developing diplomatic crisis, citing U.S. officials who said the hacking was apparently aimed at causing “rifts among the U.S. and its allies.”
Al Thani told the Daily Beast that Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani “had a good meeting” with Trump during the latter’s first trip abroad as President.
“Nothing was raised,” the ambassador said, who also noted: “The U.S. is trying to understand and make assessment of the situation. We appreciate the role they are playing in trying to de-escalate it.”
