Following escalating tensions, Iran’s military announced a missile strike on the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday. This followed explosions reported across Doha and threats of retaliation for recent US airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
While the Iranian military described the attack as “devastating and powerful,” US officials stated that no American personnel were killed or injured at the base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East.
Prior to the attack, Iran reportedly informed the US through diplomatic channels, as well as Qatari authorities, of their intentions. Qatar’s defense minister confirmed that their air defenses intercepted missiles aimed at Al Udeid.
The escalating conflict began with US airstrikes on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend, joining Israel’s ongoing air campaign against Tehran. President Trump had also raised the possibility of regime change in Iran.
Simultaneously, a Western diplomat reported a credible threat against a US military base in the Gulf. In response to the advance warning, Qatar temporarily closed its airspace, and Bahrain, another US ally in the region, followed suit after the Iranian strike. The US air base at Ain al-Asad in Iraq also activated its air defense system as a precautionary measure, and the main US military base in Syria was placed on high alert. The US embassy in Qatar had earlier advised Americans to shelter in place as a precaution.
US officials acknowledged the possibility of imminent Iranian attacks on American forces in the Middle East, even while seeking a diplomatic solution.
Adding to the escalating situation, Israel bombed a political prison in Tehran earlier on Monday, signaling a willingness to target key elements of the Iranian government beyond military and nuclear sites.
Despite the threats to Gulf oil shipments, oil prices initially fell, suggesting skepticism about Iran’s willingness to disrupt global supplies. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, seeking support for Iran’s next steps.
Israel emphasized that its strikes, including the one on Evin prison, were intended to weaken the Iranian government. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar celebrated the attack, posting a video online. While the video’s authenticity was initially unverified, other videos showing the aftermath of the strike on the prison were confirmed. Iranian state media showed rescue efforts at the prison, which houses political detainees and security prisoners. Israel also claimed to have struck Revolutionary Guard command centers in Tehran responsible for internal security.
The strikes have led to a mass exodus from Tehran, with much of the city’s 10 million residents fleeing. Reports indicated damage to an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighborhood, resulting in power outages.
The Trump administration has maintained that its aim is solely to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, not to instigate a wider war. However, Trump has also mentioned the possibility of toppling the current Iranian government.
Sources indicated that efforts to identify a successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have intensified, with his son Mojtaba and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the revolution’s founder, being considered frontrunners.