3. QATAR SPAT DEEPENS MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC RIFTS

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June. 5 that they had severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on the country, citing Qatar's "supporting terrorism" and "undermining regional security," following which came a multinational declaration of disconnection with Qatar.

Qatar failed to comply with the demands of Saudi Arabia and other countries to cut off relationships with Iran. Instead, it declared a resumption of full diplomatic relations with the country in August.

Qatar's diplomatic storm has caused a serious rift between the Gulf states. Along with the Syria issue, Yemen civil war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it reflected the intense game between the United States and Russia in the Middle East and the complexity of struggles between countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.