Bahrain imposes entry visas on Qatari nationals

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Monday ordered the imposition of visas on visitors from Qatar, according to the country’s official news agency BNA.

BNA reported that King Hamad, chairing a cabinet meeting, also directed authorities to take necessary procedures to "tighten entry and residence procedures to address the current security challenges".

The tight security procedures will not be applied to visitors from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, he stressed, according to BNA.

In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain all abruptly cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

The four states also threatened Qatar with additional sanctions if Doha failed to meet a long list of demands, including one for the closure of Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Qatar, however, has refused to comply, vociferously denying the accusations against it and describing Saudi-led attempts to isolate it as a breach of international law.