UPDATED: Explosions Heard Over Qatar As Iran Retaliates for US Bombing—Large American Base in Area

Update 6/23/25 1:50 pm ET: Qatar issued a statement claiming they were able to thwart the attack and that no significant damage was done:

Qatar said its air defenses had successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles. “We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law,” Majed Al Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, as of this writing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General 'Razin' Caine are in the Situation Room monitoring the ongoing situation.

Iran reportedly launched six missiles toward Qatar Monday, and explosions are currently being heard in the capital city of Doha.

Concerns over an “imminent” Iranian attack against American interests in Qatar had prompted the Middle Eastern country to close its airspace and for the U.S. to issue a shelter in place order for its citizens there.

Airspace over the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is now officially closed, according to a new NOTAM. pic.twitter.com/UvL59XIh55
— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) June 23, 2025

The U.S. has its largest base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base, in Qatar, which serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command and has around 10,000 troops. There are also several campuses for American universities, including Texas A&M University, Northwestern, and Georgetown.

Iran has threatened retaliation for the U.S. Saturday night bombing of its nuclear plants. As we reported, B-2 bombers dropped bunker-busting bombs on three sites in a stunning operation that left the facilities in shambles. Iran is not happy:

🚨NEW — The U.S. has ordered a "shelter in place" for Americans in Qatar.pic.twitter.com/aYCYUgnLse
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 23, 2025

The U.S. didn’t offer specifics on an expected attack, but noted that now was the time to be on the alert:

The embassy said it made the recommendation "out of an abundance of caution" but provided no other details. Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, where approximately 10,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed. The United Kingdom's Qatar embassy issued a similar warning after the U.S.

However, Fox News’s Jennifer Griffin reported Monday that officials are worried about an “imminent” attack:

🚨BREAKING: Reports of "imminent" Iranian threat on a US base in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/shNI34knRn
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 23, 2025

Griffin:

There's very significant intelligence and a warning that Iran could strike at any time, an imminent threat to Qatar. Of course, Cutter is where Al Udeid is. That's the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Normally, there would be 10,000 U.S. troops stationed there.
Last week, we reported that most of the aircraft had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base. However, those missiles, crews, and ballistic, short and medium range from Iran would take just a few minutes to reach Qatar, and there's also the possibility of swarming drones. So right now, high alert inside Cutter, we've seen the warnings at U.S. Embassy as well as at other embassies across Qatar.

The Qatari government took a confident tone, despite the fact that they closed their airspace:

Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson said the "advisory from a number of embassies to their citizens do not reflect the existence of specific threats."
"The security situation in the country is stable," the statement said, adding, "the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors."

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Expect the U.S. to respond strongly if Iran attacks Al Udeid. RedState will update you on this story as it develops.

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