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Iran fired missiles at an American army base in Qatar as Tehran struck in opposition to the US in retaliation for Donald Trump’s bombing of the Islamic regime’s most important nuclear websites on the weekend.
Residents heard explosions booming throughout Doha on Monday night as air defences sought to intercept as much as 10 missiles that had been fired in the direction of Al Udeid base.
The sprawling base simply exterior the Qatari capital is the US Central Command’s regional headquarters and usually hosts about 10,000 American troops. However most personnel had been evacuated final week and plane and different tools moved as regional tensions soared.
Qatar’s international ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari stated: “Qatari air defences thwarted the assault and efficiently intercepted the Iranian missiles.” He stated there have been no casualties.
The US and Qatar had been conscious of the upcoming risk of an assault hours earlier than the missiles had been launched, an individual aware of the matter informed the FT.
Oil costs fell as merchants calculated that the assault was largely symbolic, and will sign an effort by Iran to de-escalate the battle, regardless of the danger that it may set off a sturdy response.
Qatar had earlier closed its airspace in expectation of an Iranian assault. The US and UK embassies in Doha had additionally informed their residents within the small Gulf state to “shelter in place”.
The Iranian assault got here simply over a day after Trump ordered the US army to drop “bunker buster” bombs on Fordow and Natanz — Iran’s most important nuclear websites — as Washington joined Israel’s 10-day warfare in opposition to the Islamic republic.
The assault on Al Udeid, which additionally serves because the Royal Air Pressure’s regional headquarters, additionally dangers dragging the UK into the battle. On Monday UK international secretary David Lammy stated the UK was able to defend its personnel and belongings within the area and that “of its allies and companions”.
Shortly earlier than the assault, Main Common Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran’s armed forces, stated Trump had “violated all worldwide norms by breaching the airspace of our beloved nation” and “the crime itself and the blatant disrespect can’t go unanswered”.
Iran launched an identical assault in opposition to the US in 2020 when it fired missiles at two US bases in Iraq after Trump ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s strongest commander. The assault was telegraphed and prompted no harm, and each side stepped again from the brink of a full-blown warfare.
However a regional official stated the assault and risk to nations within the Gulf “will undoubtedly affect the relationship-building efforts which have been below means between” Iran and its Arab neighbours.
Qatar’s Ansari stated the Gulf state “reserves the proper to reply instantly”, elevating the potential of an increasing regional confrontation, but additionally referred to as for an “rapid cessation” of army actions.
Worldwide airways together with British Airways, Air France, Kuwait Airways and Etihad Airways had beforehand cancelled or rerouted some locations within the Gulf.
BP, TotalEnergies and Eni have additionally begun to evacuate international workers from oilfields in southern Iraq amid fears that Iran may goal vitality infrastructure within the area.
Regional states have been on edge since Israel launched its warfare in opposition to Iran 10 days in the past, fearing an assault on US bases or vitality services. In addition they fear that Iran may search to dam the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway by which round 1 / 4 of the world’s seaborne crude passes.
Gulf states, together with Qatar, have beforehand informed the Trump administration that they’d not enable the US to make use of bases on their territory to launch assaults in opposition to Iran.
The US has about 40,000 troops within the Center East at bases and army websites in Qatar, Bahrain, which hosts the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
The US additionally has 2,500 troops in Iraq and lots of in Syria who may very well be susceptible to assaults from Iranian-backed Shia militants in addition to from Iran’s missiles.
Israel widened its strikes on Iran earlier on Monday, hitting websites in Tehran, together with the infamous Evin jail, and the headquarters of the Basij, a drive linked to the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz stated the army would proceed putting Iran so long as the Islamic republic saved firing at Israel.
However two individuals aware of the Israeli authorities’s considering stated that given the harm it had already performed to Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities, it was searching for methods to wind up the battle.
“Israel can ‘shut’ this operation within the coming days, and is keen to. It will depend on the US, the worldwide neighborhood, and most of all of the Iranians,” one of many individuals stated.
Extra reporting by David Sheppard