Another victory for U.S. diplomacy, the Gulf States can be put to rest after more than 3 years of strife

A top U.S. government official said a breakthrough has been achieved in the more than three-year-old dispute between Qatar and four Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, with an agreement to resolve the rift to be signed tomorrow in the Saudi state.

The official, who asked not to be named, said, “We’ve had a breakthrough in the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.

This is the latest in a string of Middle East agreements the U.S. has sought to create a united front against Iran, including agreements between Israel and Arab states.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed diplomatic, trade and entry/exit bans on Qatar since mid-2017 over allegations that it supports terrorism.

Under the agreement to be signed tomorrow, the four countries will end the blockade against Qatar and, relatively speaking, Qatar will no longer pursue litigation related to the blockade.