(CNN) Qatar is on its way to becoming a major non-NATO ally of the United States, a sign of its growing relevance to Washington's global agenda.
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the first Gulf Arab leader to visit the Biden White House on Monday. It's a trip that underscores the tiny state's unrelenting ambition to remain a key international player and its ability to walk back from the brink five years after a regional embargo risked turning it into a Middle East backwater.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut off diplomatic and economic ties with Doha, accusing it of cozying up to their adversaries including Islamist groups and Iran. Then-President Donald Trump appeared to take credit for the move, and it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before Doha caved, with its regional clout diminished.
But Qatar persevered, and its fortunes have now seemingly turned. It will be the third Gulf country after Kuwait and Bahrain to be designated the title of major non-NATO ally, granted to close friends that have strategic working relationships with the US military. "I think it's long overdue," Biden said.
Ironically, the very policies Qatar was demonized for by its neighbors may have been what catapulted it back into the international limelight.
In 2020, Qatar brokered Washington's talks with the Taliban, a fruit of the decades long, often controversial ties it maintained with the extremist group. Those talks served as a precursor to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Doha also cushioned the botched exit last year by facilitating evacuations and became a hub for travel to Kabul.
Doha's cordial ties with Tehran also appear to have paid off. As Iran and the US arrive at a critical juncture in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, Doha seems to be engaging in shuttle diplomacy. Sheikh Tamim's visit to Washington comes just days after his top diplomat visited Tehran. It's unclear if the emir was carrying a message.
Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquified natural gas, is also playing a role in another global flashpoint offering to help with contingency planning in case of disruptions to energy supplies in Europe should Russia invade Ukraine.
The contrast between the Biden and Trump administrations' view of the Gulf couldn't be starker. Trump made history by picking Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip and his family forged close ties with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. A year into his presidency, Biden is yet to have a phone call with the prince.
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Libya was supposed to hold presidential elections in December, but they were postponed again, raising questions about the legitimacy of the political process.
US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Noland, told CNN's Connect The World on Friday that the "the challenge is to make sure that you don't set a date that passes again and then lose credibility, but not wait so long that Libyans lose faith in the process altogether."
Iran qualified for the soccer World Cup 2022 on Thursday. But that alone isn't what made news in the Islamic Republic -- it has qualified for the tournament five times before. This time, however, female spectators were allowed to attend for the first time in three years.
About 2,000 women watched the qualifying match at Tehran's Azadi stadium, only the second time for women to attend a major game since the 1979 Islamic revolution. They were seated in a female-only section and entered through a designated area.
The move found support from none other than Ahmad Khomeini, the great grandson of the founder of the Islamic regime that banned female spectators from sporting events.
"It's great to see women cheering on the national team. Hopefully, there will be more participation, equality and freedom for women in our country," said the up-and-coming cleric to more than 900,000 Instagram followers.
Women's rights defenders aren't cheering the move just yet though. The world soccer governing body FIFA has been piling pressure on Tehran to allow women to attend qualifying matches since 2019. Women are still banned from attending domestic tournaments and the authorities, who say the rule is in place to "protect women," have given no indication that they've had a change of heart.
Iran is the only country in the world to ban women from attending football and other sports in stadiums, according to Human Rights Watch. The issue remains a hot topic in the country and was the subject of the 2006 Iranian film Offside, which follows a group of girls as they dress up like boys to attend soccer matches.
In 2019, female soccer fan Sahar Khodayari died after setting herself on fire upon being charged with "appearing in public without a hijab" when she attempted to enter Azadi stadium "dressed as a man."
By CNN's Adam Pourahmadi.