Iran launches attack on US air base in Qatar, all missiles intercepted

Committee spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said that according to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the International Atomic Energy Commission (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. The strike on an US airbase in Qatar may offer an off-ramp for Trump.

Multiple sources report Iran used backchannels to tip off the US that an attack was coming. That, combined with the small number of missiles involved (just six) suggests this was a facing-saving gesture rather than a genuine attempt to kill US troops.

Tehran took similarly limited action following the US assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

However, prospects for de-escalation will depend heavily on Trump’s reaction and Iran’s desire and capacity to carry out further strikes.

Americans are anxious over a brewing conflict between the US and Iran and worry the violence could escalate after President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

Some 79 per cent of Americans surveyed said they worried “that Iran may target US civilians in response to the airstrikes.”

The three-day poll, which began after the U.S. airstrikes and ended early Monday before Iran said it attacked a U.S. air base in Qatar, showed Americans were similarly concerned about their country’s military personnel stationed in the Middle East. Some 84 per cent said they worried in general about the growing conflict.

Only 32 per cent of respondents said they supported continued U.S. airstrikes, compared to 49 per cent who said they were opposed. However, within Trump’s Republican Party, 62 per cent backed further strikes and 22 per cent were opposed.

Republicans were more deeply divided when asked if they supported an immediate end to U.S. involvement in the conflict with Iran, with 42 per cent saying Washington should end its involvement now and 40 per cent opposed to the idea.

The US House Speaker Mike Johnson said this evening that it is not an “appropriate time” for Congress to consider a war powers resolution.

In response to the United States’ attacks, a senior Iranian official said Iran has the necessary rationality to begin diplomacy after punishing the aggressor, adding if the US seeks negotiations, Israeli and US attacks must stop.The French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has described Iran’s missile strike on the US base in Qatar as “a dangerous escalation” and called for restraint and a return to negotiation.

The BBC is reporting that “things are slightly chaotic at the White House as dozens of reporters scramble to get more details on the president’s movements and anything they can on the Iranian operation in the Gulf, or potential US response.

Bahrain has shut down its airspace temporarily as a “precaution” after Iran attacked the Al Udeid U.S. military base in Doha.

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

On X Majed al-Ansari, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affair said “we consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations charter.”

He said Qatar’s air defence systems “successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles”.  The base had been evacuated earlier.

The New York Times is reporting that Iran co-ordinated the attack on the US base in Qatar with the Qatari officials and gave advanced notice in order to minimise casualties.

Iran has said that it attacked US forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base.

The announcement was made on state television as martial music played.

A caption on the screen called it “a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America’s aggression”.

The attack came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran.

Sounds of several explosions were heard over Qatari capital Doha, a Reuters witness said on Monday.

The move comes after US forces struck three nuclear sites in Iran, prompting Tehran to launch a barrage of retaliatory ballistic missiles against Israel.

In a statement posted to social media on Monday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Qatari authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.”

Qatar Airways has been contacted for comment on the impact to its operations.

Airlines are reviewing routes across the region, with some services rerouted or diverted mid-air.

It comes just hours after the British foreign office advised British nationals in Qatar to “shelter in place” following a US security alert.

The UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to Iran and urges British nationals in the region to follow local guidance.

It has also updated its travel advice for Qatar, warning British nationals to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution” following a US security alert in the country.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Donald Trump was “simply raising a question” when he floated the idea of regime change in Iran.

“If they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn’t the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime? That’s a question the president raised last night,” she told reporters in the first official briefing since Sunday morning’s attack on Iranian’s nuclear facilities.

“But as far as far as our military posture, it has not been changed,” she adds.

Leavitt says the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites “took out their nuclear programme”, however the head of global nuclear watchdog previously said that while significant is damage expected at the Fordow site, no one is currently able to fully assess the extent of the damage underground.

Asked about Iran potentially shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, Leavitt says the US is “closely monitoring the situation” and that “the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision”.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo has condemned the US decision to bomb Iran and has called for the conflict to stop before it becomes an “irreparable chasm”.