Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi postponed a Saudi Arabia to avoid taking sides in the rift between the kingdom and Qatar, Iraqi officials said on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May urged the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar on Thursday to take steps to reduce tensions that have led the Arab world's biggest powers to cut ties with Qatar.

The 3 Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Bahrain) boycotting Qatar responded to the comment issued by Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on June 14, 2017, saying that their decision to cut ties with Doha is “sovereign” and aims at protecting the national security from terrorism.

Turkey expects Saudi Arabia's King Salman to lead an effort to resolve the Qatar crisis, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding that imposing sanctions and embargoes would not help remedy the situation.

Prominent Egyptian political parties on Thursday criticized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's plan to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and urged people to take to the streets in protest.

Egypt's parliament on Wednesday backed plans to hand over two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under an agreement that has attracted widespread public criticism.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday held talks in Kuwait to push mediation efforts aimed at resolving a standoff between a Saudi-led alliance and Qatar.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain plan to build a new road and rail causeway between the two countries to ease congestion on the existing link and will seek funding from the private sector, a document about the project showed.

The ambassadors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Charge d’ Affaires of the Bahraini embassy to Tunisia met yesterday Tunisian Foreign Minister Khmais Al-Jehinawi.

The Trump administration notified Congress last week that it soon planned to begin delivering precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia under a 2015 weapons deal, congressional officials said on Tuesday.

Egypt's plan to hand over two uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under an agreement that has attracted widespread criticism moved closer to fruition with parliament set to vote on the measure on Wednesday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country was ready to provide food and medical aid to Qatar if needed, Sky News Arabia reported, a week after Riyadh and other Arab capitals cut ties with their Gulf neighbor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's King Salman discussed the Qatar crisis in a phone call on Tuesday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The king of Saudi Arabia and the Iraqi prime minister will meet on Wednesday, a Saudi newspaper reported, their second meeting this year as the neighbours try to heal a rift over Iraq's alliance with Saudi arch foe Iran.

Saudi Arabia's aviation body said on Tuesday that closing its airspace to flights from Qatar was within its sovereign rights to protect its citizens from any threat.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday Saudi Arabia was supporting militants inside Iran, days after hardline Sunni group Islamic State claimed attacks in Tehran.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received the Saudi and Emirati Ambassadors, and the Charge d'Affaires of the Bahrain Embassy yesterday Monday

The Civil Aviation Affairs at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications confirmed it is committed to its decision preventing all Qatari airlines from landing in Bahrain airports or crossing through its sovereign airspace.

Qatar's normally bustling desert border with Saudi Arabia was eerily quiet on Monday, with a few dozen frustrated travelers bemoaning a rift between Gulf powers that has frozen movement across Qatar's only land border.

Bahraini human rights organizations demanded Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to stop their actions that violate human rights principles following the severing of ties with Qatar.