Donald Trump issued a triumphal tweet, declaring that his trip to Saudi Arabia has already paid off with a Saudi crackdown on Qatar. This single tweet shows just how out of depth US policy has become in the six months since Obama left office.

So why has the issue with Qatar blown up, why now and what do we need to know to understand it?

Firstly, we do need to paint a very broad and generalised brush of history to begin, and I really mean “only begin”, to understand what is going on.

Westerners, when looking at the Middle East, often think the disputes in the region can be boiled down to the Arab-Israeli dispute. The creation of the Jewish State and the dispossession of the Palestinians is thought by some to be the heart of all things.

In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud being welcomed at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a welcome ceremony with traditional sword dancers at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with US President Donald J. Trump and wife Melania during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump adjusts the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, after it was bestowed upon him by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 Palestinians print posters depicting US President Donald Trump in preparations for his planned visit, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, before delivering his remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef exchange a memorandum of understanding Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump shares a laugh with a child during a visit to the American International School in the Saudi capital Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers rest during preparations ahead of President Trump's landing in Tel Aviv, Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump makes her way to board Air Force One in Riyadh as she heads with her husband the US President to Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for Israel, the next stop in Trump's international tour, at King Khalid International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers wait for the arrival ceremony of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark Air Force One on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump and his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, in Lod outside Tel Aviv, Israel EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit during welcome ceremony in Tel Aviv AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump chats wife Sara Netanyahu as US President Donald Trump chats to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcoming ceremony to welcome Trump at Ben Gurion International Airport Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump delivers a speech upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with Israel's President at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump watches as First Lady Melania Trump signs the guest book at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalems Old City Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump stands next to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz at the plaza in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leave notes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Ivanka Trump, assistant and daughter of US President Donald J. Trump, touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump arrives in a vehicle to Saint Damaso's Court for a private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis walks past Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the occasion of the private audience with President Donald Trump, at the Vatican AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis exchanges gifts with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis with US President Donald J. Trump EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis gets into is car after meeting with US President Donald Trump AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 President Donald Trump and his wife Melania look at the frescoed ceilings during their visit to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump security vehicles are seen in front of Air Force One before take off from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to reporters before boarding the Air Force One to Brussels, at the end of a 2-day visit to Italy including a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport AP

Commentators, when discussing this 70-year-old dispute often bring Iran into the mix, as the American President now does. Unfortunately, this Israel centric narrative forgets one very important point.

Iranians are not Arabs. Iranians are Persian.

The Persians and the Arabs have been fighting since well before not only the creation of Israel a mere 70 years ago, long long before Muhammad popped up in the seventh century to found Islam, but at least back to when Persian King Darius ruled Egypt in the fourth century BC.

Even to some in Egypt, Darius is recent history. Let’s talk Pharaohs, pyramids and Moses, to get some degree of historical perspective of just how long the Egyptians and Persians have been fighting.

Once Muhammad created Islam, religion became even more important. Anyone who is anyone in the world of Islam wants to control Mecca and set the direction and narrative for Islam. The Persians (Iran) are Shia, the Egyptians Sunni, albeit moderate, and the Saudis follow the stricter version of Wahhabism, which itself is a sect of Sunni Islam. All want to dominate.

For centuries, the Ottomans controlled Mecca until their empire collapsed following World War One, which coincided with the discovery and valuation of oil.

The British, understanding the power of oil, chose one tribe of Arabs to lead the Arabian Peninsula – the al-Saud family, who have been ruling most of the peninsular ever since.

Most, but not all.

A fair minority of the Arabian Peninsula is ruled by other absolute monarchies like the Emirs of the Emirates, the Emir of Oman, Bahrain, and yes, Qatar. Let’s leave Yemen to the side for just a moment.

Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Qatar over terror links

The Qataris are, like the Saudis, Sunni Islam. However the al-Thani ruling family of Qatar descend from a tribe of Bedouins that fought the al-Saud family well before Lawrence made the al-Saud family the rulers of Mecca, and then promptly crashed his motorcycle.

To complicate matters further, even though they are Sunni, the Qataris supported the Muslim Brotherhood opposition to Mubarak in Egypt, funded in large part by the Iranian Persians.

Prior to the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Egyptians and Persians were unusually getting along as the Shah married King Farook’s sister. The Shah is now buried in Cairo in a mosque next to where King Farook, as the last King of Egypt, is also buried.

The Islamic Revolution started another round of the millennia old Egypt versus Persian fighting. Iran, with Qatar’s help, funded the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt ultimately, with American help, seeing the end of Mubarak and the bringing in of Mohammad Morsi as the Egyptian ruler.

The Iranians and the Egyptians were happy again. However a happier Iranian-Egyptian partnership really annoys the Saudis and scares the Israelis, so Saudi Arabia and Israel jointly lobbied the Americans for the end of Morsi. Surprise, surprise then when the Americans then supported the end of Morsi, the rise of al-Sisi in Egypt and the sidelining of Iran.

In return al-Sisi in Egypt offered two islands in the Gulf to the Saudis as a bit of a “thank you”. Israel sat back and watched their enemies descend on each other. The Saudis ramped up their war in Yemen, which is a proxy war with Iran, and started to focus again on their own Bedouin enemies – Qatar.

Why Qatar? When you look at a map of the Arabian Peninsula you can see how some military planners in Saudi would think that Qatar, as an independent state, makes no sense. They may think it better off as a province of Saudi and “unite the historically divided Bedouin tribes of the peninsula”. Oh, and the Qataris have gas, lots of it.

But you can’t invade Qatar, as Qatar has a US air base and the Americans might get upset. So you would need to move the Americans off the fence.

The Saudis offered a Sword Dance to Trump, and in one tweet he has more or less ignored the role that Saudi played in 9/11, pointed the finger at Iran and said to the Saudis, “If you want Qatar, go for it”.

Someone in Saudi Arabia must be giving thanks for Donald Trump. Has Trump been played like a pup? I bet the Qataris and Iranians think so.