A UAE minister has expressed concerns over the recent spat between GCC countries and has said the region is going through a “severe” crisis.

The comments were made by Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, on his twitter account on 28 May.

“Fending off strife needs a change in behavior, building confidence and restoring credibility,” said the minister.

Tensions rose between Qatar and the rest of the GCC bloc earlier this month when Qatar’s state news agency (QNA) quoted the country’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani criticising renewed tensions with Tehran, expressing an understanding for Shia group Hezbollah and Palestine’s militant group Hamas, and suggesting US President Donald Trump might not “last long in power.”

The comments were immediately denied by Doha.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE proceeded to block a number of Qatari news websites, including state-owned Aljazeera.

The rift was further exacerbated when it was reported that Qatar’s emir held a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani regarding the conflict between the GCC and Iran.

On 26 May, Kuwait’s foreign minister met Qatar’s ruler for talks that appeared to be aimed at trying to ease renewed tensions between Qatar and fellow Gulf Arabs over its policy toward Iran and regional Islamist groups.

Kuwait served as a mediator last time tensions rose between the two countries in 2014 when Qatar was accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.