In ousting his chief diplomat on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump has eliminated a key champion for ending the monthslong Gulf crisis over Qatar and left US plans to resolve the dispute in flux.
Trump’s surprise decision to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo sent shock waves through Washington, just a week before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to visit. Tillerson had close ties with all the Gulf leaders from his four decades with Exxon Mobil, while Pompeo is largely seen as more sympathetic to Saudi criticism of Qatari ties to Islamists and Iran.