Qatar rejects Iran claim that strikes targeted only US bases

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari on Friday directly challenged Iranian assertions that recent missile strikes had targeted only US military installations, citing formal United Nations records that document attacks on civilian, commercial and residential areas which injured 19 people.

The rebuttal came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cited a safety and security risk assessment prepared for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, stating the document confirmed strikes exclusively targeted US military facilities. Al-Ansari dismissed this as selective quoting, saying: "If the Iranian side wishes to reference official documentation, we invite it to refer to the record formally submitted by the State of Qatar to the United Nations, rather than selectively quoting a security risk assessment prepared for operational purposes," according to Qatari state media.

Civilian infrastructure targeted

Al-Ansari highlighted letters submitted to the UN Security Council detailing the March 18 assault on Ras Laffan Industrial City, when seven ballistic missiles were launched with one striking the facility despite interception attempts. "The State of Qatar is not a party to this conflict," Al-Ansari said, adding that "attacks on its territory and civilian infrastructure, the endangerment of its population, and destabilizing actions in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be justified as ‘legitimate responses.’"

Doha's letters dated March 1, 2026, formally documented the launch of Iranian missiles over civilian areas, resulting in injuries to 16 people, while a July 20 note recorded further attacks wounding three more, including a child. Qatar also dismissed Iran's invocation of Article 51 self-defense, arguing that the strikes violate UN Charter Article 2(4) and Resolution 2817, which previously condemned the attacks as threats to international peace. The exchange follows renewed military strikes between Washington and Tehran in early September, with Doha maintaining it has sought to distance itself from the conflict since its outbreak on February 28.