In June 2017 Saudi Arabia, The UAE, Bahrain and other Gulf nations severed all economic and diplomatic relations with their neighbour Qatar, closing all land, sea and air access. Accusing Qatar of undermining the stability of the region and supporting terrorism, thirteen demands were made of Qatar in return for re-establishing connections, including closing down the Doha-based Al Jazeera news network, cutting ties with Iran and the removal of Turkish troops from Qatar's territory.
In the initial days of the blockade, residents of Qatar rushed to the shops, clearing shelves of fresh food products, the vast majority of which had previously come from across the border in Saudi Arabia. In an immediate response to this situation Iran sent plane loads of fruit & vegetables, whilst Turkey sent cargo planes full of milk, yoghurt, eggs and chicken to ease the shortages that were instantly felt.
