Dubai: One of the first signs of the crisis in which four Gulf states have cut ties with Qatar came in a phone call from an anxious government adviser to a Reuters journalist early on May 24.

In the 6.00 am call, he denied Qatar’s Emir made comments reported by the state-run news agency criticising hostility to Iran, sympathising with three Islamist groups, accusing Saudi Arabia of adopting an extremist ideology that fosters terrorism and suggesting Donald Trump may not last as US President.

The unusual timing of the call and the adviser’s haste to get the message across pointed to Qatar’s deep concern about the impact the remarks attributed to the Emir could have.

Officials in the Gulf say the comments marked a turning point, prompting Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE to cut relations with Qatar in the biggest diplomatic shock in the region for years.

For Riyadh, trouble was also evident elsewhere.

Some Qatari-funded anti-Saudi websites had begun reporting on what they said were calls for protests against the kingdom’s rulers.

“They [Qataris] hired [financed] influential Saudi preachers, religious figures, journalists and academics to incite against Saudi Arabia,” one Gulf source told Reuters.

“The Saudis had had it with Qatar. The Qataris keep channels open with Iran in various capitals and they campaign against the Egyptian state.”

The Saudis had reached a “dead end” with Qatar and decided for the first time in 20 years to take action against their troublesome neighbour, the source added.

Another factor that pushed the four countries over the line, according to Gulf officials, was last month’s visit to Saudi Arabia by Trump, who has reversed the policies of predecessor Barack Obama, thrown his weight behind the kingdom and its allies and expressed misgivings about Iran.

“The catalogue is so wide... It is an accumulation,” Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs told Reuters.

“It could have happened in March, it could have happened in December. But it was bound to happen. It was something that was ready to explode.”

Gargash confirmed there were several major irritants that sped up the process. These included the comments attributed to the Emir, UAE accusations that Qatar has undermined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and Qatar’s handling of a hostage crisis involving 24 members of the ruling elite in which it paid ransom money to Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria.

An annual phone call to mark the start of Ramadan between Tamim and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on May 27 aggravated the situation further.

A Gulf Arab source said there were several meetings between Gulf leaders in the weeks leading up to the crisis where Qatar’s mischief was being discussed.

Egypt likely came on board later after Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir visited Cairo last week.

A western diplomat said the countries could have been emboldened after Trump’s visit.