Iran fired missiles at a US military base in Qatar, claiming what it said was retaliation for American attacks on its nuclear facilities over the weekend. Witnesses described loud booms echoing through the sky over the capital, Doha, and videos indicated bright flashes in the sky as air defence systems sought to intercept the missiles.
It is the most recent escalation of a confrontation between Iran, Israel and the US that has pushed Middle East tensions to record highs in recent days.
Iranian missiles hit the biggest US military base in the Middle East, Al-Udeid, in response to what it claimed was the US bombing of three of its nuclear programme sites on Saturday night. Al-Udeid is the headquarters for the US military for all air operations within the region. Some British troops are also based there on rotation.
Iran fires missiles at US base in Qatar in retaliation strikes
The assault was initially confirmed by Iranian state media, followed by the military.
A declaration from the IRGC, which is the strongest branch of the Iranian military, stated that “Iran will not leave any attack on its sovereignty unanswered,” and further stated: “US bases in the region are not strengths but vulnerabilities.”
The US had earlier warned Iran against retaliating to its attacks on nuclear sites. We called on the leaders in Tehran to consent to a diplomatic resolution to fighting in the region.
There were conflicting accounts of the number of missiles launched. Iran reported six, the US reported 14, and Reuters said Qatar had reported 19 – all of which, it said, were destroyed. Nobody has been reported injured or killed.
Hours before the attack, both the US and UK had instructed their citizens resident in Qatar to “shelter in place”. An estimated 8,000 US citizens reside in Qatar, while the State Department estimates several thousand British nationals.
It soon emerged that Iran had issued a warning that it would be preparing to fire missiles. Three Iranian officials, citing the New York Times, reported that Tehran had informed Doha of what it had planned to do, as a means of avoiding casualties.
In his initial response, President Donald Trump thanked Iran “for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured”.
He called the attack “very weak” – no American lives were lost and very little was destroyed, he claimed. “They’ve gotten it all out of their system,” he said and claimed there was now the opportunity for “peace”.
However, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman described the attack as a “surprise” and a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty”, and added: “Qatar was one of the first countries to warn against the dangers of Israeli escalation in the region”.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile stated that Iran had not hurt anybody in the attack but that his nation would not “submit to anyone’s violation”.
