UAE officials denounced Qatar's alleged support for state-sponsored terrorism, in keeping with the official narrative of the crisis. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash threatened more curbs if necessary, according to Reuters, saying Qatar needed to make "iron-clad" commitments to change policies on funding militants. Qatar denies any connection with terrorism.

"Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form," UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said.
On top of a possible jail term, offenders could also be hit with a fine of at least 500,000 dirhams, the newspaper said, citing a statement to Arabic-language media. Since the diplomatic row erupted, slogans against and in support of Qatar have dominated Twitter in Arabic, a platform used widely in the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia.