As Iranian missiles approached a US base, one nation stepped in to avert a wider war in West Asia

Economic Times

2 days ago

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19 missiles in the air, a ceasefire on the line
A phone call, and a breakthrough
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On the evening of June 23, when Iranian missiles raced toward the largest American military base in the Gulf, senior Qatari officials were deep in high-level talks about defusing regional tensions.They didn't expect the conflict to reach their doorstep — until the walls began to shake.According to Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari, defense personnel interrupted a meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister in Doha on Monday with urgent warnings: Iranian missiles were incoming. Moments later, the thunder of interceptors filled the skies above the Qatari capital, Ansari told CNN.The attack came days after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and pushed the region to the brink of a broader war.Gulf capitals braced for impact. In Kuwait, shelters were opened. In Bahrain, roads were closed. Some residents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi rushed to buy supplies or book flights out.At Al Udeid Air Base , the largest U.S. installation in the region, American military personnel had already begun evacuating. Qatar, meanwhile, activated its early warning radar system and scrambled 300 troops to deploy Patriot missile batteries. 'Towards the end it was very clear… Al Udeid Base was going to be targeted,' a Qatari defense official told CNN.At around 7 p.m. local time, radar confirmed that Iranian missiles were airborne. According to Al-Ansari, Qatar's military intercepted seven missiles over the Persian Gulf, and another eleven over Doha. A single missile struck an uninhabited area near Al Udeid, causing minimal damage.U.S. President Donald Trump later said that 14 missiles had been fired, but Qatar's account put the number at 19. Al-Ansari told CNN the missile defense operation was 'Qatari-led', though coordinated with U.S. forces.While Tehran had warned Gulf nations months earlier that any U.S. attack on Iranian territory would make American bases across the region 'legitimate targets,' Al-Ansari said no specific warning was given ahead of this strike. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly reiterated that stance in Istanbul just one day earlier, telling Gulf counterparts that retaliation was imminent if the U.S. escalated.After the attack, Iran's National Security Council said the strikes posed 'no dangerous aspect to our friendly and brotherly country of Qatar and its noble people.' But Al-Ansari dismissed speculation that Qatar had quietly allowed the strike in exchange for a future diplomatic opening.'We do not take it lightly for our country to be attacked by missiles from any side,' he told CNN. 'I would not put my daughter under missiles coming from the sky just to come out with a political outcome. This was a complete surprise to us.'Just as Qatar's leadership was weighing how to respond, a call came from President Trump to Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Trump relayed that Israel was willing to agree to a ceasefire, and asked Qatar to relay that message to Iran.'As we were discussing how to retaliate to this attack… this is when we get a call from the United States that a possible ceasefire, a possible avenue to regional security had opened,' Al-Ansari said.The country's chief negotiator, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, reached out to Tehran. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Al Thani spoke to U.S. Vice President JD Vance. With both channels active, a deal was quickly arranged.'All options were on the table that night,' Al-Ansari recalled. 'But we also realized that was a moment that could create momentum for peace in a region that hasn't been there for two years now.'