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June 24, 2025 — Israel vs Iran: LIVE

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Asia Times: Iran’s missile strike on US base in Qatar shakes Gulf security calculus

24 June 2025 11:01

Iran’s missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the largest US military installation in the region — has sent geopolitical shockwaves through the Gulf, raising serious questions about the long-standing assumption that American military presence offers a shield to its Gulf allies.

On June 23, Iran launched 14 missiles at the base in retaliation for recent US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites ordered by President Donald Trump. The Iranian operation, codenamed Basharat al-Fath (“Glad Tidings”), marked a bold escalation in regional tensions, Asia Times wrote in its analysis, Caliber.Az quotes.

While US and Qatari air defences intercepted most of the incoming missiles, one landed near the base. There were no casualties, but the political and strategic impact was immediate.

This is the first time Iran has directly targeted a US military facility located within a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state. While Iranian forces previously struck US troops in Iraq in 2020, the Al Udeid attack represents a significant shift — an overt warning that US bases in the Gulf are now firmly within Iran’s retaliatory framework.

“Iranian officials had warned that the American attack on its territory had ‘expanded the scope of legitimate targets,’” Asia Times noted. “That threat is no longer hypothetical.”

For Washington, the strike raises urgent questions about deterrence and the credibility of the US military umbrella in the region. President Trump had claimed that American strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and threatened “devastating consequences” should Iran retaliate. Instead, Iran responded in a calibrated and symbolic fashion: launching the same number of missiles as the bombs dropped by the US, avoiding casualties, and deliberately sparing oil infrastructure.

Perhaps most troubling for Gulf states is the collapse of the notion that hosting US forces guarantees immunity from conflict. Qatar, which has long balanced a close partnership with Washington alongside diplomatic ties with Tehran — and shares the world’s largest gas field with Iran — now finds that neutrality offers no protection when missiles fly.

Diplomatic repercussions spread quickly across the region. The UAE and Bahrain, despite political rifts with Qatar, issued strong condemnations of Iran’s strike. Both understand that if Al Udeid is vulnerable, so too are US facilities on their soil.

The GCC, fractured in recent years, may now find new unity in the face of shared risk, the article states. 

The June 2025 confrontation between the US, Iran, and Israel could mark a pivotal moment in the Gulf’s strategic landscape. It highlighted the extent to which regional states are caught in great power rivalries. As Asia Times pointed out, Qatar was not a combatant — yet it still came under fire. Neutrality collapsed the moment missiles crossed its borders.

Looking ahead, intensified diplomacy is expected. Qatar and Oman may once again act as intermediaries to ease tensions between Iran and the West. However, the political cost of confrontation is now painfully clear: any future conflict could see Gulf states bleeding first.

While the Iranian strike caused limited physical damage, its strategic message was unmistakable. Gulf immunity is no longer assured — and even the act of hosting US forces now carries unavoidable risks.

By Sabina Mammadli

Caliber.Az
Views: 290

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