Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries severed relations with Doha on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their arch-foe Iran - charges Qatar says are baseless.
It wasn't immediately clear how Trump's sharp condemnation might affect USA cooperation with Qatar, which hosts some 10,000 US troops and a major USA air base that serves as a staging ground for operations in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Following the president's about-face on the crisis, Saudi Arabia has turned down his offer of mediation.
Doha is a major worldwide travel hub, but flag carrier Qatar Airways now flies increasingly over Iran and Turkey after being blocked elsewhere in the Middle East. Officials in the UAE have warned there was "nothing to negotiate". Ironically, Saudi Arabia are by far the largest financier of ISIS.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Turkish parliament "approved a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar", apparently in support of the Qatari government. The outreach came as U.S. officials told CNN they were observing increased Qatari military activity as the country placed its forces on the highest state of alert over fears of an military incursion. "I know those foundations". "Are we living really in the 21st century?"
The president said Qatar must end its support for extremism, along with "all other nations".
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Germany's Foreign Ministry says it is trying to understand the US position on the Gulf crisis, after Saudi Arabia and other nations cut ties to Qatar. Also, Qatar has been barred from the Saudi-led combination fighting in Yemen, as per CNBC.
Qatar's flagship airline sent an email on Thursday to customers who had purchased tickets for flights three days after the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other countries cut ties.
The Qatar News Agency has been offline since the alleged hack occurred and it's not clear if there was only one fake story planted, multiple, or any at all.
"Intelligence gathered by the USA security agencies indicates that Russian hackers were behind the intrusion first reported by the Qatari government two weeks ago, United States officials say". It said hackers installed a file and then published a fake news item attributed to Sheikh Tamim just after midnight May 24.
Ghassan Khatib, an expert in Palestinian politics, said on Tuesday that the rupture in relations between Qatar and its Arab neighbors could hurt Hamas's standing.
"If there is any sensible argument or sensible accusation, we are ready to answer, " Sheikh Mohammed said.
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