Iran fires at US airbase in Qatar, Doha says attack intercepted – SABC News

Iran’s military said it carried out a missile attack on the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran’s threat to retaliate for US airstrikes on its nuclear sites.

The Iranian military said the attack was “devastating and powerful” but US officials said no US personnel were killed or injured in the attack on the airbase, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.

Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive US military action, had informed the US via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters.

Qatar‘s defence minister told Al Jazeera its air defences had intercepted missiles directed at the Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.

Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after US bombers dropped 30 000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel’s air war against Tehran, and President Donald Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled.

The attack came shortly after a Western diplomat told Reuters there had been a credible threat to a U.S. military base in the Gulf state following the unprecedented U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, had shut its airspace after receiving the advance warning from Iran.

Bahrain, another US-allied Gulf Arab state just to the north of Qatar, said it had also shut its airspace after the Iranian strike against the Al Udeid base.

In addition, the US Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq had activated its air defence system out of concern for a potential attack, military sources said.

The main US military base in Iraq’s western neighbour Syria was also on full alert for possible attack by Iran or Iran-aligned militia groups, a Syrian security source said.

Qatar, a small, wealthy Gulf Arab state, had earlier announced it had closed its airspace temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. That followed an advisory from the US embassy in Qatar to Americans to shelter in place, out of what it said was “an abundance of caution”.

Two US officials said Washington had assessed that Iran could carry out attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the US was still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any reprisal.

Earlier on Monday, Israel bombed a political prison in Tehran, in a renewed demonstration of its willingness to strike not only beyond military and nuclear targets but key pillars of Iran’s ruling system.

Despite Iran’s threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices fell 4% in volatile trading , suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps.