Reuters - An economic blockade on Qatar is having the effect of pushing Qatar closer to Iran economically, Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told reporters in Paris.




"They said Qatar was now closer to Iran. By their measures they are pushing Qatar to Iran. They are giving Iran, or any regional force, Qatar like a gift," he said on Monday.




"Is that their objective, to push one country, a GCC member state toward Iran? This is not a wise objective," he added.




Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani also stressed that Qatar still had political differences with Iran, including over Syria.




(Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)