Iran targets US bases in Qatar and Iraq

Iran retaliated on Monday for US strikes Sunday targeting three of its nuclear sites, firing at least 10 missiles at American bases in Qatar and Iraq.

According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Iran’s missile operation against US bases in Qatar and Iraq has begun under the name Blessings of Victory.

US defense official confirmed that Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today. At this time, there are no reports of US casualties.

Iran has launched at least 10 missiles toward US bases in Qatar and one toward Iraq, an Israeli defense official confirmed.

Qatar hosts the largest US military presence in the Middle East, with more than 8,000 troops stationed at Al Udeid Air Base outside the capital, Doha. The US military also maintains a presence at Ain Al Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Anbar province. Explosions were heard over Doha.

A statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran launched a powerful and devastating missile attack on the Al Udeid base in Qatar.

The IRGC described the strike as a clear and explicit message to the White House, warning that Iran will not leave any attack on its territorial integrity, sovereignty or national security unanswered under any circumstances.

Iran’s National Security Council, in a statement published by Tasnim, said that the attack included the same number of bombs that the United States used in its strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, without providing exact numbers. The council said that Iran’s attack does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar.

Qatar condemned the Iranian attack, which it said was successfully thwarted by its air defenses, and threatened to retaliate directly.

We express the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the attack targeting the Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement. Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportionate to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law, Ansari said.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a post on X that the siren has been sounded and urged people to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place. The ministry stopped short of saying an attack on its territory had occurred. Bahrain hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and around 9,000 American troops are stationed in the country.

A senior White House official told Al-Monitor that the White House and the Department of Defense are aware of and closely monitoring potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

There was no immediate damage assessment available.

The attack is the second-largest direct attack by Tehran on US targets in the region, after the Islamic Republic’s response to the killing of IRGC commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

The United States entered the Israel-Iran war on Sunday, as President Donald Trump authorized strikes on the Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites. Tehran said the attacks “crossed a big red line” and vowed retaliation.