Iran said on Monday night that it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base.
The announcement was made on state television as martial music played. A caption on the screen called it “a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America’s aggression.”
Iranian armed forces named the retaliatory strikes over US bases ‘Operation Bashar Al-Fath’.
The attack came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran.
There was no immediate acknowledgement from Qatari authorities of any attack.
Iran said its missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites this weekend, signalling Iran’s likely desire to de-escalate.
Iran made the announcement Monday night in a statement from its Supreme National Security Council after the attack, which Qatar said caused no injuries.
Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
Iran will continue its retaliation in response to the United States’ attacks, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.
He said Iran has the necessary rationality to begin diplomacy after punishing the aggressor, adding if the US seeks negotiations, Israeli and US attacks must stop.
Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US base in Qatar on Monday but there are no known American casualties, a US defence official said.
“I can confirm that Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today. At this time, there are no reports of US casualties,” the official said.
President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s retaliatory strikes that targeted a US base in Qatar as “very weak,” while welcoming “early notice” given by Tehran.
“Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, after multiple missiles were launched toward the Al Udeid base in Qatar.
“I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” he added.
Qatar on Monday said it “reserved the right to respond” after Iran attacked the US Al Udeid base hosted in the Gulf state, the largest American military facility in the region.
“We affirm that the State of Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement, adding that the US base had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of the attack.
The White House and the Defence Department are closely monitoring potential threats to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, an American facility, a senior White House official said on Monday.
“The White House and the Department of Defence are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,” the official said.
The air defence system was activated in the U.S. Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq for fear of a potential attack, military sources to Reuters on Monday.
Iran earlier threatened to retaliate against the U.S. after strikes on its nuclear sites.