Behind Iran’s Missile Strike: The U.S. Base at the Center of It All
Making sense of Iran's recent missile strikes in Qatar and Iraq.
In response to unprecedented U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend, Iran has retaliated by launching missile attacks on Qatar and Iraq.
In an operation referred to as “Blessings of Victory,” Iran launched nine missiles toward Qatar and one missile toward Iraq. The Iranian attacks in Qatar specifically targeted the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base.
These attacks represent a dangerous escalation in regional tensions. Both Qatar and Iraq had previously called for de-escalation amid the Iran-Israel conflict.
Although the Gulf region is known for historic rivalries with Iran, Doha maintains relatively warm ties with Tehran.
The two countries’ shared maritime border has encouraged cooperation in areas such as maritime security and oil production. For example, Qatar and Iran jointly control the North Dome/South Pars field, one of the world’s largest natural gas fields.
In 2022, discussions were held among public and private stakeholders in both countries on expanding ports in Iran’s Bushehr province. The Bushehr Chamber of Commerce even proposed establishing an Iranian trade center in Qatar under the Chamber's supervision.
Similarly, in 2022, Iran proposed constructing a tunnel system connecting the two countries’ coasts to boost tourism and trade.
Qatar has also increasingly invested in Iranian infrastructure development, paving the way for cooperation in other sectors, such as health and tourism.
Diplomatically, the two countries have made efforts to strengthen ties. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Doha in October 2024, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Tehran for talks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Given Iran’s generally positive relations with Qatar, and the multitude of U.S. targets in Iraq, many observers are perplexed as to why Iran not only struck Qatar but did so with such intensity. It is important to note that Qatar was not involved in the U.S. strikes on Iran, and the missile attack on its territory appears to be solely due to the presence of American military assets, rather than any action taken by the Qatari government.
Al Udeid is the largest U.S. base in the region, overseeing Washington’s military operations across the Middle East.
Roughly 10,000 Americans are stationed there, and a wide range of U.S. aircraft—from bomber jets to surveillance planes—operate out of Al Udeid.
The base also hosts the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC), the hub for all U.S. air operations in the Middle East.
Al Udeid played a central role in the 2021 evacuation of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
For these reasons, Iran likely targeted Al Udeid to hinder American military operations in the region, including those targeting the Islamic Republic. NBC analyst Courtney Kube speculates that the recent U.S. strikes on Iran were likely coordinated by CAOC at Al Udeid.
Specifically, Tehran most likely aimed to strike U.S. aircraft at the base to weaken Washington’s ability to carry out future retaliatory attacks. Iran may also have sought to disrupt American surveillance systems at the base, thereby enabling its own military operations in the region, such as directing its Iraqi proxies to target U.S. forces.