Iran Launches Missile Attack on U.S. Airbase in Qatar & Iraq

News18

Interception of Iranian missiles in Qatar.

Iran’s military announced on Monday, 23 June 2025, that it had launched a "devastating and powerful" missile strike on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar, following earlier threats to retaliate against American airstrikes. Residents of the Qatari capital, Doha, reported hearing explosions shortly after the attack.

Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base attack, but said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. It said its airspace is now safe.

Iran said the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate. It also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.

Tehran had vowed to respond after U.S. bombers deployed 30,000-pound bunker-busting munitions on underground Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend—part of a coordinated offensive with Israel targeting Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump had suggested the potential collapse of Iran's government as tensions escalated.

The missile strike followed warnings from a Western diplomat, who told Reuters that there was credible intelligence of a potential Iranian assault on a U.S. base in the Gulf region, prompted by Washington’s recent strikes on Iranian targets.

The Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq was also targeted, an Iraqi security official who was not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

But Iran did not claim credit for that attack, which could have been carried out by militias.

It was not immediately clear if there was damage to the Iraq base or any injuries.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.”

Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest expeditionary wing in the world.

A senior White House official stated that both the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense were closely monitoring threats to Al Udeid and other regional installations.

Prior to the missile launches, Qatar announced a temporary closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure to safeguard residents and foreign nationals. The U.S. embassy in Doha had also issued a shelter-in-place advisory to American citizens, citing an “abundance of caution.”

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Washington had assessed a heightened risk of imminent Iranian attacks on American forces in the region, although efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution remain underway.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces bombed a detention centre for political prisoners in Tehran—an escalation that signals Israel is broadening its scope beyond military and nuclear targets to include core institutions of the Iranian state.

Despite Iranian threats to disrupt oil shipments through the Gulf, global oil prices remained relatively stable, reflecting market scepticism over the likelihood of serious supply disruptions.

In a bid to shore up diplomatic support, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as Tehran seeks backing from one of its few remaining international allies.



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