Getty Qatar V Saudi Arabia latest: Military drill between Qatar and USA

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The American military and Qatari armed forces carried out the parachute exercise in a show of military co-operation in Doha earlier today. The joint exercises come more than 70 days after Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states cuts ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an unprecedented land, sea and air blockade on their rich Gulf neighbour on June 5. Qatar has rejected accusations that it supports extremists groups and signed a counter terrorism agreement with the US last month.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that the countries behind the blockade have not yet provided evidence to back up accusations that Qatar supports terrorism. He said: “We have seen continuing escalation and attempt to market the accusation that Qatar supports terrorism without providing any evidence… “Unfortunately, this is their constant behaviour since the beginning of the crisis." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has tried to protect US interests by rowing back on Donald Trump’s apparent support for the boycott early on.

Qatar and USA hold joint military drill Tue, August 22, 2017 Soldiers jump out of an airplane with their parachutes during a joint military drill between Qatar and USA in Doha, Qatar Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 6 Qatari and US soldiers watch the parachute exercise during a joint military drill between Qatar and USA in Doha, Qatar

Qatar is home to the biggest US military base in the Middle East and Doha’s isolation from its Arab neighbours could push it closer to Iran. Nevertheless Mohamed Abdelmeguid, Middle East and Africa analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the US remains divided on Qatar. He said: “The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has continued to push for dialogue and an end to the boycott of Qatar to resolve the Gulf crisis. “However, his intervention does not appear to be making much progress. “Meanwhile, deep divisions remain in the US, where there are influential politicians arguing both for and against Qatar's objectives in the Middle East.”