06 June, 2017
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries in the Middle East have severed ties with Qatar on Monday.
It's not a shock Bahrain took similar action since it's a close ally to the Saudi kingdom.
Diplomatic relations between Maldives and Qatar began in 1984.
The countries all ordered their citizens out of Qatar and gave Qataris overseas 14 days to return home to their peninsular nation, whose only land border is with Saudi Arabia.
"Finally, Qatar's Foreign Ministry expressed its regret that the three countries have determined, at this critical time for the region, that there are no greater threats to their people that require their attention, and have instead chose to target and cause harm to the State of Qatar".
Meanwhile, Bahrain has has closed both air and sea borders with Qatar. Bahrain also recalled its diplomats from Qatar, it added.
This spat between Qatar and Saudi Arabia has been brewing for awhile now.
Qatar has yet to comment on the growing crisis.
Saudi football club Al-Ahli said just hours after the cut in diplomatic ties that it would end its financial association with Qatar Airways, taking to Twitter to announce "the termination of the sponsorship contract between the club and Qatar Airways".
But the video also showed the emir praising terrorist groups.
Al Ahli said that it terminated the sponsorship deal following guidelines from the Saudi government.
Qatar has called the severing of ties "unjustified" and announced that it continues to fight terrorism.
Trump and other U.S. officials participated in a traditional sword dance during the trip in which he called on Muslim countries to stand united against religious extremists and singled out Iran as a key source of funding and support for militant groups.
The diplomatic withdrawal was put into motion first by Bahrain, then by Saudi Arabia, early on Monday.
Eight months later, they returned their ambassadors as Qatar forced some Brotherhood members to leave the country and quieted others.
Qatar is a peninsula that is otherwise surrounded by the Persian Gulf.
"Qatar always had a fairly independent policy, it had for example always supported the Muslim brethren, but in many ways it has done the same sort of thing that the Saudis have". Qatar's leaders viewed the uprising as an opportunity for the small emirate to increase its political options in the region. It also accused Qatar of taking an "antagonist approach" toward Egypt.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 in Ismailia, Egypt, is often referred to as the "father" of today's Islamic terror movements.
"Airspace will be impacted by flights being re-routed, especially for Qatar Airways who will no longer be allowed to use the expansive airspace of Saudi Arabia on flights to Europe and North America", he said.
