Pentagon Plans No Change of Posture in Qatar Amid Doha's Row With Arab States

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States encourages its Gulf partners to reduce tensions amid the recent deterioration of relations between Qatar and several other Arab states, Rankine-Galloway said.

"We encourage all our partners in the region to reduce tensions and work towards common solutions that enable regional security," Rankine-Galloway stated. "We have no plans to change our posture in Qatar."

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia, alongside Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar amid the row over the Doha’s alleged support of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist movement, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

Rankine-Galloway said the US military continues to use Qatar's Al-Udeid air base without any changes.

"US military aircraft continue to conduct missions in support of ongoing operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan," he noted.

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he does not expect the row to affect the fight against terrorism in the region and globally.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday it rejects the Gulf Cooperation Countries' accusations of its interference in other countries' domestic affairs.