Iran confirms missile attack on U.S. military base in Qatar

Iran launched multiple missiles against an American military base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for the U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities this weekend.

• Iran coordinated its attack on Al Udeid airbase with Qatar, and the Trump administration was aware of the threat in advance, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.

The latest: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council released a statement confirming the attack on Qatar and claiming the number of missiles fired was equal to the number of bombs the U.S. used in its strike on Saturday — signaling a desire to de-escalate.

• “The base that was targeted in the attack by the powerful Iranian forces was far from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar,” the statement said.
• “This action did not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar, and its noble people.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier released a statement claiming it had launched a “devastating and powerful missile attack” against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

• “This base is the headquarters of the Air Force and the largest strategic asset of the US terrorist army in the West Asia region,” the IRGC statement said.
• Iran “will not leave any attack on its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national security unanswered under any circumstances,” the statement stressed.

The Foreign Ministry of Qatar issued a statement saying Qatari air defenses “thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles,” with no injuries or deaths reported.

• Qatar, which frequently acts as an intermediary for diplomatic talks in the region, strongly condemned the Iranian attack and called for a return to the negotiating table.
• The lengthy statement was published minutes after the attack and seemed to be prepared in advance.

Why it matters: The scope of the Iranian retaliation — particularly the number of casualties — will determine how President Trump responds, and whether the U.S. plunges deeper into Israel’s war with Iran.

• Trump was meeting at the White House with his national security team, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joints Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, as the Iranian attack unfolded.
• The president has warned that any retaliation “will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed” during the U.S. military attack against three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.

Driving the news: “The White House and the Department of Defense are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,” a senior White House official told Axios.

• “We neither began the war, nor did we ask for it; but we won’t let the aggression against the great Iran go unanswered,” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X shortly before the attack.

State of play: Qatar had announced earlier in the day that it was temporarily closing its airspace due to rising regional tensions. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates also closed their airspace after the Iranian attack.

• Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the biggest U.S. military installation in the region. In recent weeks, many of the base’s aircraft and personnel have been evacuated.
• The U.S., U.K., and China issued warnings on Monday advising their nationals in Qatar to shelter in place as a precaution.

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