Two US Navy vessels arrived in Doha to take part in a joint military exercise with the Qatari Emiri Navy just days after US President Donald Trump accused Qatar of being “a founder of terrorism at a very high level”. Qatar hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East with more than 11,000 troops deployed or assigned to al-Udeid Air Base. Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported the arrival of the vessels on Wednesday, the same day that Qatar signed an agreement for the purchase of F-15 fighter jets from the US with an initial cost of 12 billion USD. The aircraft purchase was completed by Qatari Minister of Defence Khalid Al Attiyah and his US counterpart James Mattis in Washington, DC, according to QNA. It was unclear if the arrival of the two warships to Doha was planned before the Gulf rift or if it was a sign of support from the Pentagon. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and a number of other countries severed relations with Qatar earlier this month, accusing it of supporting armed groups and Iran – allegations Qatar has repeatedly rejected.
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