Iran fired missiles at a US air base in Qatar after promising it could reply “proportionately and decisively” to President Donald Trump’s weekend airstrikes on three of its nuclear amenities.
There have been no reported casualties within the assault on Al Udeid base — the most important such US facility within the Center East — amid indicators Iran gave advance discover of the strike plan. Qatar mentioned the missile barrage was intercepted and the bottom had been evacuated upfront. Oil plunged on reduction that Tehran’s restricted response didn’t goal vitality provides.
The salvo marks one other widening within the battle that started 10 days in the past when Israel attacked Iran, concentrating on nuclear and missile installations and navy leaders. Iran has responded with a number of days of missile strikes on Israel, and the conflict threatened to escalate after the US joined the marketing campaign with a bunker-buster bombing raid.
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Iran’s transfer “seems like a largely symbolic retaliation,” saud Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics’ chief emerging-market economist. “Loads of warning was given — Qatar shut its airspace and the US issued warnings to residents.”
Trump mentioned the nuclear websites struck by the US had been completely destroyed, and vowed to satisfy any Iranian retaliation with pressure “far higher” than these weekend strikes. He additionally hinted at the potential for “regime change” in Iran, although US officers confused that isn’t their intention. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned the strikes had the “restricted” goal of eliminating Iran’s atomic program. Officers have mentioned it’s too early to undoubtedly assess injury.
There was no rapid indication of how the US will reply to Monday’s Iranian missile launch. The administration was anticipating that Iran would retaliate, and doesn’t need extra navy engagement within the area, CNN cited a senior White Home official as saying.
The assault included no less than six missiles fired towards Al Udeid — the regional headquarters for US Central Command, which oversees the American navy within the area, and residential to a number of thousand US service-members — based on an individual aware of the matter.
A few of Qatar’s Gulf Arab neighbors together with Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, and the United Arab Emirates additionally closed their airspace late Monday as a precaution. Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia all issued statements condemning the Iranian assault.
Oil costs started to slip instantly after reviews of the strike. Crude had beforehand climbed in the course of the 10-day Israel-Iran battle, amid issues that Iran may goal oil amenities or search to close down the Strait of Hormuz, a key vitality hall.
However Brent had erased a big chunk of that improve by 2:30 p.m. in New York, plunging nearly 7% on the day. US shares additionally climbed, reversing earlier losses.
These market strikes got here amid reviews that Iran’s missile launch on the US base in Qatar had been telegraphed. The US and its allies had been anticipating the strike, based on an individual aware of western intelligence assessments. UK and US diplomatic missions suggested Doha-based residents earlier within the day to shelter in place “till additional discover,” and a Qatar authorities spokesman mentioned the bottom had been evacuated.
Iranian officers additionally urged the transfer had a symbolic factor. The variety of missiles fired matched the variety of bombs deployed by the US in opposition to the nuclear websites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, and the Qatar strike “poses no hazard” to a “pleasant and brotherly nation,” the state-run IRNA information company mentioned.
Israel says its conflict in opposition to Iran goals to get rid of the nation’s nuclear program as a way to forestall the nation buying atomic weapons, a threat additionally cited by Trump to justify the US involvement.
Earlier than the Israeli assault on June 13, American and Iranian negotiators had held a number of rounds of talks on an settlement on curbing Iran’s program — to exchange the 2015 nuclear deal which Trump deserted throughout his first time period. Since then, Trump has alternated between navy threats and hints of renewed diplomacy. His envoy within the earlier negotiations, Steve Witkoff, has been involved with Iran for the reason that US strikes, CNN reported Monday. Tehran has mentioned it received’t rejoin talks whereas underneath assault.
Israel ratcheted up assaults on varied Iranian targets earlier on Monday, and the Israeli navy warned residents of Tehran to anticipate additional strikes within the coming days. Iran additionally fired a number of missiles at Israel, suggesting no rapid plans to pare again the hostilities.
The continued change of fireplace factors to elevated dangers for the worldwide economic system which transcend oil costs — at a time when world commerce has already been shaken by Trump’s commerce wars.
Although Iran’s missile launch seems to have been rigorously calibrated, it led to the shutting down of airspace over a swath of the Gulf and disruptions for business flights heading into Doha and Dubai, cities which can be residence to main airline hubs. The potential for weeks or months of comparable episodes would trigger main disruptions for international carriers already coping with the affect of tariffs.
