DUBAI: US Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook said on Sunday a rift between Qatar and some of its other Gulf Arab allies had lasted too long and urged them to rebuild trust and unity.

Gulf states Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf state Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June 2017 over accusations it supports terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the bloc aims to infringe its sovereignty.

The United States, along with Gulf state Kuwait, has so far unsuccessfully tried to mediate the dispute, which Washington sees as a threat to efforts to contain Iran.