Doha: After US airstrikes began targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran responded with multiple missile attacks on the US military base Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, laying the groundwork for a series of retaliatory strikes in the Middle East on Monday.
The Iranian operation “Good News of Victory” also confirmed it aimed at Al Udeid, a primary US Central Command base where some 10,000 American troops are now stationed. There were also reports of attacks on Al Asad in Iraq and unverified reports of attacks on US naval facilities in Bahrain. The state-run Tasnim news agency of Iran and Isfahan on June 21.
Immediately, the regional responses were there to the aggression. Meanwhile, Qatar, the Emirates, Iraq, and Bahrain shut their airspace, and air raid sirens sounded in Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The foreign ministry in Qatar said that air defences intercepted the Al Udeid attack and that no one was hurt. FlightRadar confirmed some restricted airspace over the UAE but said the closure did not appear to disrupt regional air traffic.
Before US forces entered the escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had threatened retaliatory attacks against US targets. Last week, Khamenei warned that American military bases would be among the targets “if America enters this war”. Iran’s new military chief, Major General Amir Hatami, echoed this assertion: ’Whenever they have attempted to strike us, they have encountered a decisive response.’ Fighting BACK—with all our strength and all of our heart.
Earlier in the day, a mortar shell was directed toward a US base located in Syria’s province of Hasaka, with the report of tightening security near the entrance of the facility, allegedly done by Iran. By launching coordinated assaults of this kind, Iranian leaders are signalling an ability to project power and respond along multiple fronts in the region.
After this, reports came about US fighter jets flying in the Saudi Arabian airspace, and there was an advisory by the Indian Embassy in Doha for all Indian nationals asking them to stay indoors and follow the guidance of local authorities. The embassy said, however, to “remain alert and follow developments via our social media channels.”
US President Donald Trump, who earlier warned Iran of “tragedy” if it responded, held an emergency National Security Council meeting at the White House late on Wednesday. A senior White House official said the Pentagon was monitoring for potential threats to Al Udeid and other regional bases. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: ‘If peace does not come soon, we will hit other targets with far greater force.’
Lord Alton said the international community was “frightened”. The ongoing crisis led Pakistan to request an emergency UN Security Council meeting, which is due to take place at midnight on June 23, at Iran’s request. The US is a global police force. Head of the Saudi Intelligence Service, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, said, “It was an irresponsible American use of force that has threatened regional stability, as did Iraq and Oman, while the US itself and its allies, especially the UK, defended the airstrikes as a needed action to limit Iran’s nuclear path.
The missile strikes represent an alarming turn, stoking fears of an expansion of the fighting that could further ripple across global energy markets, with Iran already threatening to shut the vital oil-shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. While every part of the world watches and waits for the American response, the Middle East will prepare for additional turbulence.