US committed to de-escalating tensions after gulf rift: White House

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US June 5, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- The White House said Monday that the United States was committed to de-escalating tensions in the Gulf after some Arab countries decided to sever ties with Qatar.

"The President is committed to continuing to have conversations with all of the people involved in that process, with all of those countries," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders here at a briefing. "We want to continue to de-escalate that."

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference in Australia, US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday sought to downplay the impact of the diplomatic rift in the Middle East on the campaign against the Islamic State (IS).

"I am positive there will be no implications coming out of this dramatic situation at all," said Mattis.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt said earlier on Monday that they decided to cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless."

Libya, Yemen and the Maldives also severed ties with Qatar on the same day.