Iran claims it has carried out a “mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression” after launching missile attacks on a US military base in Qatar and Iraq.
The attack comes after the US dropped “bunker buster bombs” on three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.
Iran’s response this evening is the latest escalation in tensions in the volatile region.
Qatar has said there were no casualties at the al Udeid base following the strikes and that its “air defences thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles”.
People in Qatar’s capital, Doha, had stopped and gazed up at the sky as missiles flew and interceptors fired.
Follow latest: Iran attacks US bases
Iran had announced on state television that it had attacked American forces stationed at the al Udeid airbase.
A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression” as martial music played.
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Iran releases video after attack on US base
Initial reports claimed Iran had also targeted a base housing US troops in western Iraq, but a US military official later told Reuters news agency the attack in Qatar was the only one detected.
A US government official said the White House and US defence department was “closely monitoring” the potential threats to its base.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump was in the Situation Room in the White House with his team following the Iranian strikes.
Traces are seen in the sky over Qatar after Iran’s armed forces targeted the al Udeid base. Pic: Reuters
He later said in a post on Truth Social that the missiles were a “very weak response”, which the US “expected” and “very effectively countered”.
He added: “Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE.
“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.
“Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a post on X: “We have not violated anyone’s rights, nor will we ever accept anyone violating ours, and we will not surrender to anyone’s violation; this is the logic of the Iranian nation.”
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The attacks came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran.
Just before the explosions, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”
Kuwait and Bahrain briefly shut their airspaces after the attack, news agencies in each country reported.
Iraq also shut its airspace, while Oman Air suspended some flights in the region.
The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it is rerouting several flights today and tomorrow due to restrictions in parts of the Middle East.