Trump’s Business Ties in Persian Gulf Raise Questions About His Allegiances
Mr. Trump has said he is backing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates because Qatar is "a funder of terror at a very high level."
But his stance toward Qatar, which is host to the largest American air base in the region, has differed sharply from the positions of the Pentagon and State Department.
When Mr. Sajwani attended Mr. Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Mr. Trump praised the Sajwani family as "beautiful people." A few weeks later, his sons Donald Jr.
and Eric attended the opening of the first Dubai golf course, and on May 16, Mr. Sajwani posted an Instagram photo of himself dining with Donald Trump Jr. in Dubai.
The feud in the Persian Gulf flared up on June 5, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates
and Arab allies all broke off trade, travel and diplomatic relations with Qatar as punishment for what they said was its support of terrorism.
A few days later, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson called on Qatar "to be responsive to the concerns of its neighbors." But he added, "We call on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to ease the blockade against Qatar." He noted
that the dispute was impairing international trade and hindering the military campaign against the Islamic State.
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICKJUNE 17, 2017
LONDON — President Trump has done business with royals from Saudi Arabia for at least
20 years, since he sold the Plaza Hotel to a partnership formed by a Saudi prince.
The American ambassador to Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, responded to the showdown by retweeting a statement
from the United State Treasury praising Qatar for cracking down on extremist financing.
