Pompeo: Boycott has gone on too long

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stopping in Qatar as part of a Mideast tour, said Sunday an ongoing boycott of the nation by U.S. allies in the Middle East “has dragged on too long,” though he gave no sign of any breakthrough in the dispute. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began a boycott of Qatar in June 2017, alleging Qatar funds extremist groups and has too-cozy ties to Iran. Pompeo also said he signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar regarding expansion and renovation of al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command and some 10,000 troops.

■ Angered by Pompeo’s announcement that Poland will host an international conference on Iran in February, Iranian authorities summoned Warsaw’s top diplomat in Iran and called off a Polish film festival. Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denounced the upcoming summit as America’s antiIran “circus.” Pompeo said he hoped the meeting will allow the world to see “the enormous coalition that is prepared to assist in creating stability and peace here in the Middle East.”