File Photo: Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump wait for a meeting at the Palace Hotel on Sept. 19, 2017 in New York City, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. (Xinhua/AFP)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Wednesday with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani following his earlier calls with leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
According to a White House statement, Trump and the emir discussed regional development and opportunities to further enhance U.S.-Qatari partnership on security and economic issues.
Trump thanked the Qatari sovereign for promoting cooperation among all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, saying that bettering GCC partnership can help counter Iran's "destabilizing" activities and defeat terrorists and extremists.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Front) attends the 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Dec. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Muhammed Ayaan)
The leaders also agreed on the importance of regional cooperation and a united GCC for mitigating regional threats and ensuring the region's economic prosperity.
On Tuesday, Trump spoke respectively with UAE's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, when he encouraged the two nations to enhance Gulf cooperation to counter Iran's regional influence.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) welcomes Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on May 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
Last year, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt accused Qatar of "supporting terrorism" and "undermining regional security" by seeking closer ties with Iran.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman drinks coffee during the graduation ceremony of the 93rd batch of the cadets of King Faisal Air Academy, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 21, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)
Qatar strongly denied what it called the "unjustified" and "baseless" accusations.
The standoff, rather than showing any signs of abating, has been exacerbated by Trump's remarks in June that Qatar had funded terrorism "at a very high level."
