Saudi Arabia and its allies recently issued a 13-point ultimatum to Qatar, which included the demands it close a Turkish military base in Doha, shut down the Al Jazeera TV channel and curb ties with Iran, as the precondition for suspending a weeks-long trade and diplomatic embargo on the small nation. Qatar was told to comply with the demands within 10 days or face unspecified consequences.

The threatening ultimatum has escalated the worst diplomatic dispute in the Persian Gulf region in decades. However, Doha has stood up to the pressure and rejected the seemingly humiliating demands.

It is widely believed that the diplomatic row should be resolved through talks, but the United States, the key player in the Middle East, has displayed an inconsistent approach to the issue, which has compounded the difficulties in resolving the dispute.