Iran attacks major US base in Qatar in response to Washington’s strikes on nuclear sites

Iran delivered its first blow to the United States on Monday, following the attack on its territory in the early hours of Sunday. Tehran had already responded to Israel after the offensive it launched on Friday, June 13, and has done so again — this time targeting the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East — after Washington bombed several of its nuclear facilities on Sunday.

As night fell in Doha, the capital of Qatar, Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid U.S. Air Base, located about 16 miles from the capital and the most important U.S. base in the region, according to Iranian state television and news agencies. Shortly after, the White House convened an emergency meeting, and the Pentagon confirmed the attack, carried out with short- and medium-range missiles. “At this time, there are no reports of US casualties,” said the Department of Defense in a statement. “We are monitoring this situation closely,” it added.

Iran code-named the operation “Annunciation of Victory,” and had previously warned both Washington and Doha in advance, according to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters — a sign that the aim was more symbolic than destructive. While the missile strike was underway — and top Washington officials monitored events from the White House Situation Room — Trump posted a message on Truth Social, his platform, insisting that the weekend’s operation had successfully destroyed its intended targets: Iran’s nuclear facilities. He also used the post to lash out at journalists who reported there was no conclusive evidence of that success.

Diplomatic path slips further out of reach

Iran’s latest strike confirms that diplomacy — already in tatters since Israel launched its offensive against Iran — is increasingly out of reach, despite Washington having still considered it a viable option just hours earlier. Regional escalation has only intensified over the past two weeks. Even as new flashpoints emerge, Gaza remains the most devastating front in the conflict, where dozens of Palestinians are killed daily by Israeli occupation forces.

Explosions were reported over Doha on Monday as Qatar’s air defenses attempted to intercept missiles launched from Iran, according to eyewitnesses and video footage from the scene. Qatar’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that its systems were activated in response to the attack, which was repelled without casualties, according to Al Jazeera. In the wake of the strike, neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain activated emergency alerts to warn their populations.

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, called the strike on Al Udeid Air Base a “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.” He stated that Qatar reserves the right “to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression.”

Still, Iran was quick to emphasize that Qatar — a “friendly and brotherly country” — was not the intended target. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council stressed that it struck the Al Udeid airbase, not residential areas.

Qatar, Al-Ansari added, “was one of the first countries to warn against the dangers of Israeli escalation in the region.” He reiterated Qatar’s long-standing call “for diplomatic solutions to be prioritized.”

Trump has called a meeting in the Oval Office to discuss the next steps in the Middle East crisis. He is scheduled to travel to The Hague, Netherlands, for a NATO summit beginning Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether the latest developments will alter those plans.

Located in Doha, Al Udeid is the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East. It houses more than 10,000 personnel and serves as the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the Pentagon division responsible for military operations spanning from the Middle East to South and Central Asia. The base also serves as the main hub for the Qatari Air Force.

Al Udeid is one of eight permanent U.S. bases in the region, where between 40,000 and 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed. Alongside its airbases, another key site for Washington is the naval base in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

On Sunday, the Iranian regime declared that it now considers U.S. citizens and interests in the region as legitimate targets in the ongoing war, following the strike ordered by President Trump. Tehran also threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a quarter of the world’s oil supply passes.

Fears of Iran’s response to Washington’s strikes had been mounting in recent hours. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar had already advised U.S. citizens to shelter in place and exercise extreme caution.

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