US hopes to name Qatar as major non-Nato ally

The United States hopes to move ahead with plans to name Qatar as a major, non-Nato ally, a status that provides foreign nations with benefits in defence trade and security cooperation with Washington, a senior US official said on Thursday. Currently, 17 countries have MNNA status, including Gulf Arab states Kuwait and Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Qatar, host of the largest US military facility in the Middle East, has been locked in a dispute with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since 2017.