Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Was qatar listed as a terrorist country in two thousandand seventeen
Executive summary
Qatar was not designated by the United States or by the United Nations as a “terrorist country” in 2017; instead, several neighboring governments (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt) cut ties and issued lists of individuals and groups they accused of terrorist links and demanded Qatar act on them [1] [2]. U.S.–Qatar counterterrorism cooperation expanded in 2017 — including a July memorandum of understanding on combating terrorist financing — and U.S. reporting from that period highlights both cooperation and continuing concerns about private financiers and groups hosted in or linked to Qatar [3] [4].
1. What actually happened in 2017: a diplomatic blockade, not a formal “terror designation”
In June 2017 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed sanctions, accusing Doha of supporting extremist groups; those four countries also produced a list of 59 people and 12 groups they wanted Qatar to sanction or expel [4] [1] [2]. This was a regional political and diplomatic action — not the same as a sovereign state being placed on an internationally recognized “terrorist state” list by the U.S. State Department or the UN (available sources do not mention a U.S. or UN designation of Qatar as a “terrorist country” in 2017).
2. U.S. posture in 2017: public criticism plus formal counter‑terror engagement
President Donald Trump publicly criticized Qatar in June 2017 for alleged funding of extremist activity, but U.S. policy was mixed: the State Department and Congress debated measures and reporting, while the U.S. and Qatar signed a July 2017 memorandum of understanding to fight terrorist financing and increased information sharing and cooperation [5] [3] [4]. U.S. reporting shows both the diplomatic rupture with Gulf neighbors and continuing U.S.–Qatar counterterrorism ties, including operational cooperation and host facilities for U.S. forces [4] [6].
3. Allegations that drove the crisis: private financiers, hosting political offices, and mediation roles
The accusations centered on Qatar tolerating or facilitating private financiers who supported groups such as elements linked to al‑Qaeda, ISIS, and Hamas, and on its hosting of Hamas political figures and other controversial actors — facts that neighboring states and some U.S. analysts cited in 2017 as justification for pressure [3] [7] [1]. Qatar denied state sponsorship of terrorism and pointed to its anti‑terror legislation and later prosecutions; in mid‑2017 Doha also amended its counterterrorism law and later signed counter‑financing agreements with the U.S. [3] [4].
4. What different sources emphasize: security concerns vs. mediation utility
Regional governments and some analysts framed Doha as enabling extremist financing and harboring problematic figures [2] [8]. Other reporting and policy documents emphasize Qatar’s role as a mediator — hosting political offices and facilitating talks — and its strategic partnership with the U.S., including hosting U.S. forces and participating in multilateral counter‑ISIS efforts [3] [6] [9]. Both narratives appear in the record for 2017: critics stress alleged permissiveness toward private funders; supporters and pragmatic partners stress Qatar’s cooperation and leverage for negotiations [10] [6].
5. Important nuance: lists and designations of people and charities, not a country label
In June 2017 the quartet named individuals and organizations they associated with terrorism and in some cases designated charities (for example, Qatar Charity faced designations by some states), but those actions targeted persons and groups tied to or operating in or from Qatar, not a single international legal designation that the State of Qatar itself was a “terrorist country” under U.S. or U.N. listings [1] [11] [2]. Congressional hearings and policy proposals in 2017 discussed legislative tools that might label jurisdictions of concern, but those were proposals and recommendations, not sweeping state‑level designations applied that year [5].
6. How this matters for interpreting claims today: words and lists get conflated
Media and political rhetoric in 2017 sometimes blurred distinctions between “Qatar harbors terrorists,” “individuals in Qatar are designated,” and “Qatar as a state is a terrorist sponsor.” The record shows regional punitive measures and public accusations, plus U.S. criticism — but not an official U.S. or U.N. declaration of Qatar as a terrorist state in 2017 [4] [5] [3]. For accuracy, distinguish between (a) regional diplomatic sanctions and lists of alleged financiers; (b) designations of individuals or charities; and (c) formal state‑level terrorist designations by international bodies (available sources do not mention a state‑level U.S. or U.N. terrorist designation of Qatar in 2017).
7. Bottom line for your question
Qatar was the target of a diplomatic blockade and was accused by several neighboring states of supporting terrorism in 2017 — and the year saw both criticism and deeper counterterror cooperation with the United States — but the country itself was not formally listed as a “terrorist country” by the U.S. State Department or the United Nations in 2017, according to the available reporting and official country reports [4] [3] [5].