Iran-Backed Telegram Channels Celebrate Tehran's Missile Strikes On U.S. Bases In Qatar And Iraq: 'Israel Likely To Receive Harsher Retaliation Soon'

Memri

7 hours ago

On June 23, 2025, Iran launched coordinated missile attacks on U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq. Among the confirmed targets was Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—one of the most strategically significant American installations in the Middle East.
The attack quickly sparked jubilation across several Iran-backed Telegram channels, which framed the operation as a turning point in the confrontation against U.S. military presence in the region.
The "Iranian Military Capabilities" Telegram channel, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published two posts addressing Iran's attack on Al-Udeid Air Base.[1] In the first, it claimed that the Iranian attack was not carried out as a secondary or symbolic act, as it targeted what is described as the very heart of the U.S. military structure in the Gulf—"its nerve center of command, its weapons stockpile, and its launch point for B-52 bombers, refueling missions, drones, and intelligence systems."
Crippling the base or dismantling its operational capacity amounts to a direct strike on the spinal cord of American dominance in the region, according to the channel, highlighting that victory is marked by the destruction of the base itself and the breaking of the psychological and operational barrier around targeting it: "Every burned B-52, every destroyed command center, is a real blow to U.S. capabilities at Al-Udeid, which no longer enjoys the security it once did," the post stated, concluding: "The American aura of invincibility has now taken a major hit."
In a follow-up, the channel elaborated on why Al-Udeid Air Base was chosen, noting its unparalleled strategic value: "It is the largest American military installation in the Middle East and houses the U.S. Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) along with the headquarters of joint operations. With over 10,000 U.S. troops stationed there, it serves as the backbone of American air operations, stretching from the Gulf to Afghanistan."[2]
The strike, according to the post, was aimed at the brain, the spine, and the central node from which U.S. "terrorist" military operations are managed across Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and the wider Gulf. The message of the attack is clear: "American military decision-making centers will no longer remain safe."
The "Dhu Al-Faqar" Telegram channel, which supports Iran-backed militias in Iraq, framed the attack as a deliberate and strategic escalation.[3] It claimed that Iran sought to send two key messages through the strike. First, it intended to demonstrate that no U.S. base in the Gulf, no matter how fortified, is beyond Iran's reach—rejecting any notion of "out-of-range" zones. Second, the attack was meant to signal Iran's readiness for a simultaneous confrontation with both the United States and Israel without compromising its operational strength. The post described the escalation as carefully calibrated: "Forceful enough to inflict damage but restrained enough to avoid giving Washington a clear justification for all-out war." The channel warned that based on current indicators, Israel would likely receive harsher retaliatory blows soon.
As part of its psychological messaging, the channel released a propaganda video showing a coffin wrapped in the American flag, posted via a fabricated Donald Trump Twitter account.[4] The video featured a growing count of "Killed" Americans in place of traditional social media "likes."
Other Telegram accounts affiliated with Iran-aligned militias in Iraq circulated footage reportedly showing Iranians celebrating the attack in the streets of Tehran.