Iran And Qatar Are Allies – And The Coordinated Bombing Of The CENTCOM Base In Qatar Proves It
Iran's bombing of CENTCOM's Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar created confusion in Western circles regarding Iran-Qatar relations. It should be emphasized that it is no accident that Iran chose to attack the U.S. in Qatar, of all places. This is because Iran and Qatar are allies and could coordinate the bombing such that it would cause no loss of life or significant damage. Additionally, Qatar's consent to the operation does not endanger Iran with a Qatari response – in contrast to what would happen if a U.S. base were to be attacked in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, or Jordan.
Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, from Khamenei's website, February 19, 2025.
Below is Iran's reasoning for attacking the CENTCOM base in Qatar:
Iran: Qatar Is A "Sister" And A "Friend"
The bombing of the U.S. airbase in Qatar was, according to Iran, against the U.S., and Iran is emphasizing that Qatar is a "sister" state and a "friend" and has historic ties to Iran. The operation, say the Iranian regime mouthpieces, poses no threat to "our friendly neighbor" Qatar, and they add that Iran remains committed to preserving and continuing its historically warm relationship with Qatar.
Thus, for example, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei explained in a post on X that Iran's attack on the American Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar constituted "self defense." He wrote:
"Iran's military strikes on American military base 'Al-Udeid' was in exercise of our self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to the United States' unprovoked aggression against Iran's territorial integrity and national sovereignty that took place on 22 June 2025.
"This act of self-defense had nothing to do with our friendly neighbour Qatar as we enjoy excellent and deeply rooted relationships.
"Iran remains fully committed to its good-neighbourliness policy with respect to the State of Qatar and other neighboring countries.
"We resolve not to let U.S./Israeli criminal aggressions and malign policies against Iran create division between us and the brotherly countries of the region."[1]
X.com/IRIMFA_SPOX/status/1937430016733651155, June 24, 2024
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