Iran’s President Expresses Regret to Qatar After Missile Strike on US Base
Iran’s President Expresses Regret to Qatar After Missile Strike on US Base
In a significant diplomatic move, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has conveyed his “regret” to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani following Monday’s missile attack on a U.S. military base located within Qatari territory. The phone call, held on Tuesday, aimed to reassure Doha that the Gulf nation and its populace were not the intended targets of the strike on the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
The Iranian leader emphasized that the attack “did not represent a threat” to Qatar, reiterating Tehran’s commitment to maintaining respectful and neighborly relations. This reassurance comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for launching 19 missiles at the base on Monday. According to Qatari officials, 18 of these projectiles were successfully intercepted by Qatari defense forces, though flares and loud explosions were observed across Doha.
The IRGC stated its missile barrage was a “powerful and devastating” response to what it termed “blatant military aggression” by the United States against Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. However, Qatar has vehemently condemned the incident, with the Diwan (Emir’s office) stating that the Emir “reiterated Qatar’s strong condemnation” of the attack, viewing it as a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty and airspace.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani acknowledged a “scar” on relations between Doha and Tehran, indicating that healing would require time. Furthermore, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry dispatched a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council on Tuesday, denouncing the IRGC’s actions as an “extremely dangerous escalation” and a “direct threat to regional peace and security.”
The incident unfolds amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, which ignited on June 13. While U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran late on Monday, both nations have since accused each other of violating the fragile truce, underscoring the precarious security situation in the region.
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