Qatari Defense Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah met with his US counterpart, James Mattis, to sign the agreement Wednesday.
Washington and Doha have signed an agreement for the purchase of F-15 fighter jets, with an initial cost of $12 billion, as US President Donald Trump's administration attempts to navigate an ongoing diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the deal "will give Qatar a state-of-the-art capability and increase security cooperation and interoperability between the United States and Qatar".
Five Eastern countries - Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen - broke off ties with Qatar, hoping to isolate the country politically and economically, punishing Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism.
Qatar is home to the biggest US military base in the region, with the Al Udeid Air Base home to more than 110,000 USA and coalition troops - an important base in the fight against the Islamic State group.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday the crisis between Qatar and some Arab countries should be resolved "through peace and dialogue". In a statement, the organization said it would host ministers and senior officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain on Thursday.
Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have urged a conciliatory approach to the Gulf standoff, but Trump's comments last week broke with this tone.
The sale of US combat aircrafts to Qatar, which has recently become the target of massive Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic boycott, is just one part of a $20 billion deal.
Spanish Prosecutors Accuse Mourinho of 3.3m Euros Tax Fraud
He also claimed he has not spoken with the player, who is representing Portugal at the Confederations Cup in Russian Federation . The four-time World Footballer of the Year has helped Real win the Champions League three times and La Liga twice.
Saudi Arabia, another key U.S. ally, has led moves to isolate the gas-rich emirate since earlier this month.
"The nation of Qatar has unfortunately been a funder of terrorism, and at a very high level", Trump also declared later in a rose garden press conference.
"Qatar is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Persian Gulf region", the agency said. It added Mattis and Attiyah had discussed current operations against Isis and the importance of de-escalating tensions in the Gulf.
Cavusoglu held talks in Kuwait with his counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah on Thursday to push mediation efforts aimed at resolving the dispute.
"I would characterize the mood and the approach to that as being one that is hopeful, that believes that the worst is behind us", State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday.
"We are friends, we've been friends now for a long time, haven't we?"
Qatar is also home to Al-Udeid, the USA military's largest base in the Middle East.
Comments