In a widely anticipated response to American strikes on three of its nuclear sites the previous day, Iran launched a missile attack on a key US airfield in Qatar on Monday night.
The greatest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which houses over 10,000 soldiers and serves as CENTCOM's forward headquarters, was the target of a coordinated attack by Iran on June 23, 2025, using about 14 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Qatari and U.S. air defenses, including Patriot missile batteries, intercepted nearly all incoming missiles, with one intercepted missile causing minor damage to a nearby building but resulting in no injuries or significant structural harm at the base.
Hours prior to the strike, diplomatic channels informed both U.S. and Qatari officials, enabling preventative actions such as base evacuation and temporary closure or shelter advisories throughout regional airspace in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.
President Trump described the strike on Truth Social as a “very weak response,” praised Iran’s advance notice, and expressed hope it would lead to “Peace and Harmony in the Region,” while Qatar’s government denounced the attack as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty” but confirmed successful interception; Iran, meanwhile, asserted the strike was a “proportionate and decisive” response intended to mirror recent U.S. bunker-busting attacks on its nuclear sites.
Oil prices fell by about 7% in response to the strike, which markets saw as limited in scope and unlikely to threaten strategic choke points like the Strait of Hormuz. The incident is part of a larger escalation cycle that began on June 13 and was characterized by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and subsequent Iranian missile and drone attacks, including recent barrages against Israel.
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