President Donald Trump on attack at Al Udeid: Iran got revenge out of its 'system'
WASHINGTON — Iran’s first major response to the June 21 U.S. attack on its nuclear facilities appears to have been mostly foiled and launched against a base that had been largely evacuated, according to U.S. officials.
What comes next? A spiraling conflict or an uneasy, unspoken ceasefire? President Donald Trump signaled its the latter with Iran getting revenge out of its "system."
Iran targeted, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the sprawling command center for the Pentagon’s air war operations in the Middle East, with a barrage of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. There were no U.S. casualties, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
There about 10,000 U.S. troops stationed at Al Udeid, on the outskirts of Qatar's capital of Doha. Its air operations center has overseen fighters, bombers and drones that have conducted combat missions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Dignitaries make stops there frequently, including Trump and secretaries of Defense.
The Qatari military shot down most if not all the missiles, according to a second U.S. official who also was not authorized to speak publicly. Trump, in a social media post, said 13 of the 14 missiles were intercepted and one caused "hardly any damage."
Iran gave advance notice of the attack, Trump said, and that with that volley of missiles they had "gotten it all out of their 'system.'"
Iran could continue to fire missiles at bases housing 40,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East. Its missiles have the range to hit all of them, the second official said. The official agreed with Trump that, just as likely, Iran could cite Monday’s attack as its response to "Operation Midnight Hammer" and stand down, the official said.
For two weeks, Israel has conducted punishing raids on Israel, destroying much of its air defense and leaving it vulnerable to attack. The June 21 attack by the Pentagon employed the world’s most potent bunker-buster bombs and has damaged if not destroyed a good portion of its nuclear enterprise, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Sunday. A more thorough assessment of the damage at Fodrow, Natanz and Isfahan will take time, he said.
Michael O’Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution, said Trump and the Pentagon would be wise to read Iran’s intent behind its counterattack and wait to determine if a response is warranted.
“With this attack, Iran is signaling a desire to save face while deescalating,” O’Hanlon said. “I’d be inclined to let it be, especially because other things are still unfolding — specifically, our efforts to figure out what really happened at Fordow in terms of bomb damage assessment and consider next steps from there. We don’t need to worry about face ourselves, in my judgment.”
Trump has shown a willingness to end the cycle of tit-for-tat attacks with Iran. In 2020, he ordered the killing by drone of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general who led its Quds Force. Iran responded by attacking al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, wounding more than 100 U.S. troops.
Trump downplayed the significance of Iran’s response and did not retaliate.