Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, refuted Iran’s assertion that recent missile attacks were not aimed at Qatar. Evidence on the ground contradicts this claim, as stated during a phone conversation between the Prime Minister and Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Araghchi insisted the missile strikes targeted American interests, not Qatar.
Sheikh Mohammed countered this by highlighting that civilian and residential areas in Qatar were indeed hit. The affected locations included Hamad International Airport vicinity, critical infrastructure, industrial zones, and liquefied natural gas production facilities. Describing the strikes as a blatant breach of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law, he noted that the attacks involved not only missiles but also ongoing drone activities and unauthorized aircraft intercepted by Qatari armed forces.
The Prime Minister criticized Iran’s actions as escalatory and lacking a genuine intent to de-escalate or resolve conflicts. He accused Tehran of trying to embroil its neighbors in a dispute that does not concern them. Urging an immediate halt to attacks on regional states striving to stay out of the conflict, Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the importance of prioritizing people’s broader interests. While advocating for dialogue and diplomacy, he made it clear that any violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, security, or territorial integrity would be met with a response, citing Qatar’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The escalation traces back to February 28 when the US and Israel jointly conducted military strikes against Iran, known as “Operation Epic Fury,” resulting in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior commanders. Following failed diplomatic talks in Geneva, the US claimed the strikes aimed to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure preemptively. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US assets and bases in various Gulf nations, including Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain.
This conflict has drawn several Gulf Arab states hosting significant US military installations directly into the crisis, compelling them to balance sovereignty concerns with the risk of becoming targets. The situation has sparked global apprehension over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for approximately 20% of the world’s oil, as disruptions in tanker traffic lead to escalating energy prices.
