Iran launched missile strikes Monday on U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq, escalating tensions following American airstrikes on its nuclear facilities.
Missiles targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, home to U.S. Central Command’s forward headquarters.
Iran’s state television hailed the operation as “a mighty and successful response” to what it called “American aggression.”
In Iraq, missiles struck the Ain al-Assad base, according to an Iraqi security official. The attack followed Qatar’s closure of its airspace amid rising threats.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: “We neither initiated the war nor seek it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran unanswered.”
The strikes mark a significant expansion of the conflict, coming just hours after Israel targeted sites in Tehran, including Evin Prison and the Revolutionary Guard headquarters.
Israel said its latest campaign is aimed at regime and military infrastructure, not regime change.
Earlier in the day, Israeli jets also struck roads near Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site, damaged a day prior by U.S. bunker-buster bombs in a coordinated attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The U.S. described the move as a limited operation, but Iran warned it had crossed “a very big red line.”
President Donald Trump, who authorized the U.S. strikes, questioned Iran’s leadership on Truth Social, writing: “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change?”
Iran retaliated Monday with further missile attacks on Tel Aviv and Haifa. Explosions were heard in Jerusalem, but no casualties were reported. Israel said at least 950 people have died in Iran from its strikes, while 24 Israelis have been killed since the war began.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but tensions have risen since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal under Trump’s first term.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned the Israeli and U.S. strikes as “unprovoked aggression,” calling for de-escalation after talks with Iran’s foreign minister in Moscow.
