Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several other Sunni-majority countries severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism. The bloc also objects to Qatar's ties to Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Taliban.
Qatar has denied the accusations and called the collective decision "unjustified." Kuwait, Turkey and the US have all urged a political solution as the bloc isolates Qatar using various ad hoc sanctions, including shutting down their airspace to Qataris and blocking import routes. Read more here.
Read the latest developments in the crisis here:
Monday, October 30
Bahrain calls for excluding Qatar from the GCC
Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa, Bahrain's Foreign Minister, said that Bahrain would not attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) if Qatar did not change its stand. He also called for freezing Qatar out of GCC.
Al Khalifa made the statement via his Twitter account on Sunday: "if Qatar thinks that its current playing with time and evading will buy it time till the upcoming GCC summit, then it's mistaken. If the situation remained as it is we won't attend this summit."
Qatar's Emir accuses Saudi Arabia and other blockade countries of wanting a 'regime change'
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Qatar's ruler, in an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes accused Saudi Arabia and its other Arab allies of seeking a "regime change."
"They want a regime change. It's ... so obvious,"
"They don’t like our independence, the way how we are thinking, our vision for the region," Sheikh Tamin said on Sunday.
Sheikh Tamin also reiterated that he was ready for for US-hosted direct talks aimed at solving the worst diplomatic crisis in the Gulf but had yet to hear a response to US President Donald Trump's invitation to the four Arab states boycotting Doha.
Sunday, October 22
Tillerson says Saudi Arabia not ready for talks with Qatar
Saudi Arabia was not yet ready to begin direct talks with Doha to resolve the nearly five-month diplomatic and trade cutoff affecting Qatar, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a briefing in Doha alongside Qatar’s foreign minister.
"There is not a strong indication that the parties are ready to talk yet," Tillerson said of discussions he had earlier in the day with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at overcoming the row.
Friday, October 20
Tillerson to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, India, Switzerland
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland in a week-long trip starting on Friday, the State Department said in a statement released on Thursday.
In the Middle East, Tillerson will discuss the conflict with Yemen, Iran, and the ongoing dispute with Qatar, among other issues, the department said. In Geneva, he will meet several international organizations to discuss refugees, it added.
Friday, October 6
US military halts exercises with Gulf countries
The US military has halted some exercises with its Gulf Arab allies over the ongoing diplomatic crisis targeting Qatar, trying to use its influence to end the months-long dispute, authorities said.
While offering few details, the acknowledgement by the US military's Central Command shows the concern it has over the conflict gripping the Gulf, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet and crucial bases for its campaign against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, as well as the war in Afghanistan.
Tuesday, October 3
A defiant Qatar emir meets Iran's Zarif
Iran's foreign minister held talks with the emir of Qatar aimed at strengthening cooperation, nearly four months into a Saudi-led blockade against the Gulf emirate.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Doha at a time of heightened Gulf tensions, with Qatari officials warning the ongoing Arab blockade would only drive them towards regional powerhouse, Iran.
Sunday, October 1
Qatar growth sinks as oil sector stalls
Qatar's economic growth slowed in the second quarter to its lowest rate since the global financial crisis because of a sagging oil sector, while sanctions by other Arab states has inflicted minimal damage, according to Qatari official data.
Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, expanded just 0.6 percent from a year earlier in the April-June period, the slowest growth since the 2009-2010 crisis. GDP grew 0.5 percent from the previous quarter.
Wednesday, September 27
Qatar in talks with UAE's Tabarak for stake sale in UAB
Qatar's third-largest lender, Commercial Bank, is in talks to sell its 40 percent stake in Abu Dhabi-listed United Arab Bank to the UAE's Tabarak Investment.
Commercial Bank joins several Qatari companies exiting the United Arab Emirates due to the widening Gulf rift.
Monday, September 25
Qatar holds tournament draw without boycotting states
Officials from the Gulf Arab states boycotting Qatar did not turn up to the draw for a Middle East soccer tournament in Doha and want to postpone the competition. The tournament is seen as an early test for the 2022 World Cup hosts.
Requests by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain to delay December's Gulf Nations Cup had been rejected however, the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) said.
Qatar says Trump keen on dialogue to end Gulf crisis
Qatar's foreign minister said that US President Donald Trump was keen on using dialogue between the various parties to end the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf region.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani told reporters in Paris that he had seen from President Trump a "greater desire" to fix the crisis and that Trump "doesn't want to see conflict among friends."
Thursday, September 21
Gulf media promotes emigre Qatari royals as feud sours
Qatar's Arab critics are targeting a new pressure point in their feud with Doha, the tiny country's ruling family, permitting state-linked media outlets to portray two little-known Qatari princes living abroad as distinguished statesmen.
The publicity, in which the two men are lauded by media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE as talented decision-makers capable of solving the rift, is widely seen as a dig at the prestige of Doha's current leadership.
For more on earlier developments click here.
