Latest updates: Mauritania break diplomatic ties with Qatar as Jordan downgrades it

The Gulf crisis which has been boiling for the last two days seems to have hit a new high with the West African country of Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, severing ties with Qatar.

Late yesterday night, Mauritania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an Arabic Press release about the decision on the Mauritanian Information Agency’s website.

“The state of Qatar has linked its policies in support of terrorist organisations and the propagation of extremist ideas,” the statement in Arabic read.

However, in a show of solidarity with Doha, people in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott demonstrated outside the Qatari embassy against the Mauritanian government’s decision to severe ties with the Gulf state, reported Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Jordan downgraded its diplomatic representation with Qatar after saying they would examine the ‘cause of the crisis’ in the Gulf.

The country also revoked the license of Al Jazeera media network, Jordan's government spokesman Mohammad Al Momani said.

But there is some cheerful news for Qatar as its gas exports seem to be unaffected by the ongoing crisis.

Exxon Mobil Corp said production and exports of liquefied natural gas from Qatar have not been affected by rising diplomatic tensions in the Middle East.

The growing diplomatic rift has raised concerns about global access to Qatar's LNG, especially after some regional ports in the Gulf said they would not accept Qatari-flagged vessels.

Royal Air Maroc announced it had to suspend transit flights via Qatar's capital Doha to and from UAE, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Egypt due to the cancellation of flights from Qatar to these countries.

However, their direct flights will continue to operate to and from Qatar to Morocco.