Alwaght- After Qatari king's remarks,which described Iran as an “Islamic power”, sparked outrage among Persian Gulf Arab states, Doha issued a statement claiming hackers had broken into the website of its state-run news agency and published a fake story quoting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The report, which said Sheikh Tamim had spoken at a military graduation ceremony, cited him as being critical of renewed tensions with the Islamic republic of Iran.
"Qatar Has established strong ties with Iran and the United States, as Iran is an Islamic and regional power that cannot be ignored. It is not wise to collaborate against Iran because it is a big power and guarantor of peace in region."
While Qatari officials, likely under pressure from other Arab states, deny these remarks alleging their state-run news agency were hacked by an ‘unknown entity’, Sky News Arabia reported that the country's official TV channel has also subtitled the Qatari kings remarks.
Sheikh Tamim's statement also declared the oil-rich state's relations with Israeli regime were "good."
The article, published early Wednesday morning on the website of the Qatar News Agency, further announced that Doha had ordered its ambassadors from Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates withdrawn over “tension” with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Ties between Qatar and other Persian Gulf Arab states suffered an eight-month breach in 2014 over Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose political ideology challenges the principle of dynastic rule.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have used their oil and gas revenues to influence events in other Middle Eastern countries, and rifts between them can alter the political environment in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
