Image source, Reuters
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- Author, Writing
- Author’s title, BBC News World
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Iran launched this Monday missiles against an American base in Qatar, in response to US attacks on its nuclear facilities on Saturday.
The missiles, which caused the closure of the Qatari airspace, were intercepted in their entirety and were not injured or dead, according to the authorities of Qatar and the USA.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, described as “weak” Iran’s response to American attacks on Saturday and suggested that he opens a path to peace.
Qatar, a neighbor of Iran, had closed his airspace after reports of a credible threat of attacks. Subsequently, multiple explosions were heard.
The Pentagon confirmed that the military base of Al Udeid in Qatar, one of the most important in the United States in the Middle East, had been the objective of a series of short and medium -range ballistic missiles launched from Iran.
The reactions
Hours after the Iranian attacks, Trump published on social networks that Iran’s response had been “very weak” and even thanked the country of the Ayatolás to have “warned in advance.”
“Iran has officially responded to our destruction of its nuclear facilities with a very weak response, something we expected, and that we have countered with great efficiency,” said US President in Truth Social.
He said Iran shot 14 missiles, from which 13 were intercepted and another continued in a “non -threatening address.”
No American or Catarí was injured and “there were virtually no damage,” he said.
“The most important thing is that they have relieved and, hopefully, there will be no more hate. I want to thank you to have warned us in advance,” he said.
He added: “Maybe Iran can now move towards peace and harmony in the region, and I will encourage Israel to do the same.”
After the missile launch, Iranian state media disclosed that it had been a “powerful and victorious” response to US attacks.
“Iran will not leave any attack on its territorial integrity, sovereignty and national security under any circumstance,” the Iranian revolutionary guard claimed in a statement.
Ayatollah Ali Jamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, said in the social network X that his country has not caused harm to anyone and that he will not accept any aggression of anyone under any circumstance. “
Jamenei added that Iran will not be submitted to anyone’s aggression, since that is the “logic” of the Iranian nation.
Image source, Reuters
Qatar, on the other hand, protested vigorously by the Iranian attack.
A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry indicated in the social network X that his air defense systems “successfully prevented the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles”, in addition to clarifying that the base had been previously evacuated.
“All necessary measures were taken to guarantee the safety of personnel at the base, including members of the Qatar Armed Forces, allied forces and others,” he added.
The spokesman described the attack as “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, its airspace, international law and the Charter of the United Nations” and assured that Doha “reserves the right to respond” equivalent to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression. “
The Interior Ministry of Bahrain, on the other hand, said the alert sirens sounded at a possible air attack and urged citizens to move to the closest safe place.
Image source, Getty Images
Previous American media reports indicated that Iran was preparing to carry out this attack imminently.
Iran’s attack is Tehran’s first military response against US interests after Saturday Washington decided to attack the country’s nuclear facilities.
The US has military facilities in at least 19 locations in the region, eight of them considered permanent by many regional analysts: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Syria.
According to the Independent Institute for Research Council on Foreign Relations.
The base of the Udeid
Image source, TSGT Scott Reed, USAF
Located near Doha, the UDEID base serves as the headquarters of the air operations of the US Central Command in the Middle East and houses almost 8,000 US soldiers.
Additionally, British forces are displayed in the base, which is also called Abu Nakhla airport.
The installation is headquarters and logistics base of US operations in Iraq and includes the longest landing floor in the Gulf region.
Qatar allowed the United States to operate at the Udeid base in 2000.
After assuming the US administration in 2001, Doha and Washington signed an agreement in December 2002 that officially recognized the military presence of this country at the Al Udeid facilities, according to the London intelligence firm Grey Dynamics.
In 2024, CNN reported that the United States had reached an agreement to extend its military presence in Qatar for another 10 years.
It is clearly a calculated and choreographed response by Iran
Frank Gardner analysis
BBC security correspondent
Iran’s missile attack against the American Air Base in Qatar seemed, at first glance, an important climb that threatened to drag the Gulf’s Arab states to a broader regional conflict.
The situation could still explode and Qatar is furious, describing the attack as “a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.”
The Qatari are particularly annoying, since they had condemned Israel’s attack against Iran and demanded solutions by diplomatic route.
They also maintain good historical relationships with Iran, with whom they share a huge gas deposit on the high seas that separate them.
But this has been clearly a calculated and choreographed response by Iran: victims have not been reported and, according to reports, the attack was announced in advance, as Tehran did in 2020 when responding to the murder of the commander of the force Quds, Qasem Soleimani, by the United States.
Six missiles, although they are still dangerous, have nothing to do with the massive bombardment of missiles and drones that will probably still have capacities to launch.
In this way, Tehran’s goal would have been to save appearances fulfilling the promise of avenge the US attack, but not so drastic that it triggered a catastrophic reprisal of the United States and its allies.
The ball is now on the court of President Trump. If you decide to leave it there, tonight you will probably have marked the high point of the conflict between the United States and Iran.
There could also be an opportunity to reactivate nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran.
But Trump could have other ideas.
If you decide that this requires an answer, you could hold a very hot summer in the Gulf.
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