Iran reportedly targeted American military bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday, after President Donald Trump launched preemptive strikes against three Iranian nuclear development facilities over the weekend.
According to multiple news outlets, Iran launched at least six missiles towards U.S. military bases in Qatar. Ahead of the missile launches, Qatari airspace was shut down to commercial air travel, after the Department of Defense assessed what they called a “credible” threat of military action from Iran.
A Reuters witness reported hearing several explosions over Doha, the Qatari capital, indicating that some of the munitions may have been intercepted by defense systems. According to Axios, similar defense systems were activated at the al-Assad airbase in Iraq.
In a statement to MSNBC, a White House official said, “The White House and the Department of Defense are aware of and closely monitoring potential threats to Al Udeid air base in Qatar.” The official added that “President Trump, Secretary of Defense [Pete] Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, along with other officials in the White House, are in the situation room monitoring the latest.”
In a statement released on social media, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said that “the State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.”
“We also emphasize that the continuation of such escalatory military actions will undermine security and stability in the region, dragging it into situations that could have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security,” the nation wrote. “We call for the immediate cessation of all military actions and for a serious return to the negotiating table and dialogue.”
According to The New York Times, which spoke to three Iranian officials familiar with the strike plans, the attack was coordinated with the Qatari government, which was given advance notice. The officials added that the move was largely a “symbolic” action, an echo of a similar strategy employed in 2020 in the aftermath of the U.S.’s killing of former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during Trump’s first term.
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The attacks come two days after Trump launched preemptive strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, which has been trading attacks with Israel since June 13. In his address Saturday evening, following the U.S. attacks on Iran, Trump demanded that Iran “now make peace,” adding: “If they do not. Future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”
Trump posted Saturday night, “ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
This is a developing story…
From Rolling Stone US
