Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a missile attack on the U.S. air base at Al Udeid in Qatar on Monday, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes over the weekend targeting key installations of Iran’s nuclear program. The assault was confirmed by Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency, which also reported that other American bases in Iraq had been hit. The operation was named “Announcement of Victory.”
AFP journalists reported that explosions were heard overnight in several areas of Doha, including the city center and the Lusail district to the north. Witnesses described seeing projectiles streaking across the night sky, coinciding with the closure of Qatari airspace.
Earlier in the day, Qatar had announced the temporary shutdown of its airspace following a security alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Doha. The embassy urged American citizens to take shelter, though it did not specify the cause of the warning.
In Washington, White House officials confirmed that the U.S. government was monitoring the Iranian attacks in real time, according to local media. Meanwhile, the State Department echoed the embassy’s alert on its official website, stressing the need for precaution. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s administration reiterated its general warning about the risk of further attacks on U.S. interests in the region.
Qatar, strategically located across the Persian Gulf from Iran, has hosted the Al Udeid Air Base since 1996. The base is considered the most important U.S. military installation in the Middle East and is home to the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Doha also maintains diplomatic relations with Tehran and shares with it a vast offshore natural gas field.
The small Gulf emirate has gained increasing prominence as a key player in regional stability. In recent years, it has managed to mend ties with other Gulf nations following the diplomatic crisis that isolated it during Trump’s first term.
Amid rising tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain — home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and the Naval Forces Central Command — ordered part of its staff to begin working remotely as a precautionary measure.
