Qatar’s big blow to Iran, Iranian officials should leave the country in 24 hours, Doha gave final warning after missile attack

News India Live, Digital Desk: Decades old relations between two Muslim countries of the Middle East have now reached the brink of war. Angered by the horrific missile attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas plant, Qatar has taken strict ‘diplomatic action’ against Iran. The Qatar government has given an ultimatum (Persona Non Grata) to all Iranian embassy officials and employees to leave the country within the next 24 hours. Iranian Ambassador summoned: “It’s like stabbing in the back” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Iranian Ambassador and lodged a strong protest. Qatar says that while on one hand Qatar has always been a mediator between Iran and the West, on the other hand Iran has betrayed its most important energy hub by targeting it. 3 main points of Qatar’s action: Diplomatic expulsion: Iranian embassy staff have been given only 24 hours to leave the country. Ban on flights: Qatar Airways suspended all its flights to Tehran indefinitely. Security Alert: Qatar has declared ‘high alert’ on its borders and coasts to prevent any further possible attacks. Why is Qatar enraged? The backbone of Qatar’s economy is its gas exports. Qatar has suffered billions of dollars in losses due to the attack on the Ras Laffan plant. Apart from this, Qatar believes that this attack is a well-planned conspiracy on the part of Iran to prevent Qatar from getting closer to America and Israel. Iran’s clarification and ‘South Pars’ scandalIran has denied any direct involvement in this attack, but the intelligence inputs available with Qatar are pointing towards Iran. Both countries share the world’s largest gas field ‘South Pars/North Dome’. Experts fear that if this diplomatic rift is not filled, production in this shared gas field may come to a halt, which will stop the supply of gas around the world. Is there a sound of war? The expulsion of Iranian officials by Qatar is an indication that the paths of negotiation have almost closed. The US Defense Ministry (Pentagon) is closely monitoring this situation and is considering increasing its military deployment for the security of Qatar.