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Iran unleashed waves of major, simultaneous missile and drone attacks across the Gulf on Sunday morning, targeting Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, and claiming further attacks in Jordan and Oman, following a new round of US airstrikes in Iran, in response to a new Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday night.
Multiple loud booms shook Doha in two waves of Iranian attacks early Sunday, as Qatar’s air defence intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles above the capital, Euronews’ Qatar bureau journalists are reporting from across the city.
Qatar’s Defence ministry announced in a statement that “Qatar’s Armed Forces continue intercepting a number of ballistic missile attacks targeting the State of Qatar”.
Euronews staffers in Doha observed several Iranian ballistic missile interceptions above the city, followed by loud booms sending shockwaves across the capital, in two waves of attacks over two hours, at the same scale as the first days of the Iran war.
National emergency air raid alerts rang out on mobile phones in Qatar at 05:36 local time as Qatar’s Interior ministry urged residents to shelter indoors, stay away from windows, and warning that the country’s security threat level is high.
At the same time, the UAE announced that its air defence systems were engaging Iranian missiles and drones, urging residents to shelter as well, Euronews journalists in UAE report.’
The UAE Defence ministry reassured the residents that the explosions being heard are the result of air defence interceptions of Iranian missiles.
Kuwait’s army command announced that it was engaging “hostile aerial targets,” urging residents to shelter.
Bahrain also announced it activated its air defences in response to Iran’s attacks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) announced in a statement during the attacks that it targeted the Al-Udeid US airbase in Qatar and claimed that it destroyed a command and control center as well as an aircraft maintenance facility.
Qatar however announced that it intercepted the incoming missiles targetting the largest US airbase in the region.
Iran also claimed it attacked the Prince Hassan airbase in Jordan, destroying a number of facilities, and that it also hit Oman’s Duqm port which is used by the US navy.
Over the last days, Tehran has repeatedly warned that any further US strikes will in turn trigger Iran attacking US targets on the territories of the Gulf countries, same as it did at the start of the war.
The US military’s central command CENTCOM announced Saturday night that it conducted a series of strikes in southern Iran, in response to a new Iranian attack on a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze and forcing its crew to abandon it. One sailor was reported missing.
CENTCOM said it hit some 140 targets in the strikes, to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freeling transiting the strait,” while US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote online on that “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay,” just before the start of the US bombing.
Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned in a post on X that “the era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” in reference to Iran’s claim of sovereignty and control of the Strait of Hormuz and the US-Iran framework deal to end the war.