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Iran launched an attack on a US military base in Qatar on Monday, in retaliation for American strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
According to Iranian media and other outlets, the target was the US’ Al-Udeid base in Qatar, which President Donald Trump visited last month. Some reports cited witnesses hearing explosions over Doha on Monday.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said it “successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles,” calling the strikes a “flagrant violation” of Doha’s sovereignty.
Trump later downplayed the attack, writing on social media that Iran has “gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE.” Trump added that Tehran gave Washington advance notice of the attack, and no US troops were injured.
“Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,” Trump said.
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Analysts said any Iranian countermeasure would be carefully calibrated to avoid a devastating escalation. Tehran has several options, wrote the BBC’s veteran security correspondent Frank Gardner: It could choke off the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil supplies are shipped; it could use its sophisticated cyber capabilities to strike US interests; or it could hit regional US bases like the one in Qatar, perhaps using drone swarms belonging to regional proxies.
After threatening America with “everlasting consequences,” Tehran’s theocratic leaders faced a stark choice, a regional expert told The New Yorker’s David Remnick: “If the Ayatollah responds weakly, he loses face,” but “if he responds too strongly, he could lose his head.”