
Qatar shuts down airspace to ensure safety, says government, after US attacks on Iran
Qatar said it has shut down airspace temporarily as part of measures taken amid developments in the region, a statement by the Qatari foreign ministry said on X.
It said the move comes to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
Qatar hosts the largest United States base in the area.
The shutdown comes as Iran repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the US after strikes on its nuclear sites on Sunday.
Earlier, the US and UK governments told citizens based in Qatar to lie low after Iran vowed to retaliate against an American attack on its nuclear facilities.
'Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,' the US embassy in Doha said in a statement on Monday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
24 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Should Taiwan worry about the US being bogged down in the Mideast again?
A US war in the Middle East could leave its armed forces stretched too thin to respond swiftly to a Taiwan Strait crisis, analysts on the island warned after the US launched multiple precision strikes on nuclear-related sites in Iran on the weekend. While US President Donald Trump was quick to describe the operation as a 'very successful attack', defence analysts and lawmakers in Taipei suggested that American attention could be diverted from the Taiwan Strait Their core concern: that the United States, already deeply engaged in supporting Ukraine, would have fewer military resources and less political bandwidth to respond swiftly should Beijing move against Taiwan. 'There's no question Taiwan remains a core US interest,' said Li Da-jung, professor of international relations at Tamkang University in New Taipei City. 'But if America finds itself managing two major conflicts at once, we have to ask: how many resources can it realistically spare for us, should Beijing choose that moment to act?'


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
China not seen as likely to use navy to secure Hormuz Strait
China is highly unlikely to use its navy to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz if Iran threatens to close it as Middle East tensions rise, a top US analyst told reporters Monday. Although China depends heavily on Middle Eastern oil, its approach would be shaped by quiet negotiations and self-interest, not direct military intervention, Richard Fontaine, chief executive of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, said. He pointed to attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Red Sea last year, when Beijing reached an agreement with the group to spare Chinese-flagged vessels. 'China acted, but it just cut a separate deal with the Houthis,' Fontaine said. Its focus, he added, was 'protecting its own interests' rather than policing global waterways. Play Although about 16 per cent of China's seaborne crude came from Iran in early 2025, CNAS analysts said its approach would remain shaped by long-standing economic interests.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Iranian parliament committee approves general plan to suspend cooperation with IAEA
The national security committee of Iran's parliament approved the general outline of a bill meant to fully suspend Tehran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing committee spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei. Advertisement Rezaei said that according to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed. Parliament still has to approve the bill in a plenary. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, accused the IAEA of lacking objectivity and professionalism. The IAEA in June adopted a resolution condemning Tehran's failure to cooperate with the agency with regard to its nuclear programme. As Israel and Iran exchanged fresh strikes on Monday, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that Tehran should not be allowed to have a nuclear bomb. He said his 'greatest fear' was that Tehran had a nuclear weapon which would give it a 'stranglehold' on Israel and the rest of the world. Advertisement 'When it comes to Nato's stance on Iran's nuclear programme, allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon,' said Rutte ahead of a Nato summit in The Hague.