- June 29, 2025
‘Not Risking My Daughter’s Life’: Qatar Diplomat Says Doha Never Approved Iran’s Attack
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Responding to if Qatar had ties with Iran or if it knew about the attack, Al-Ansari strongly denied it, saying they would never risk their people for political games.
Interceptor missiles are fired, after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted the Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
While tensions escalated between Iran and Israel, Qatar was caught in the middle of the conflict on Monday. Qatar also stepped in and played a key role in de-escalating the situation.
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari, they were surprised by the attack. He recalled the strikes and revealed that they felt the prime minister’s residence was shaking with the interceptions that quickly followed overhead.
Notably, Iran launched an attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts US forces. It was the first time Iran had targeted the Gulf in the conflict, and it shocked everyone.
The incident raised concerns in nearby countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, where people were told to stay indoors. In Doha, US and UK citizens were told to take shelter, and American military personnel were moved out of the base.
As Qatar’s military confirmed the missiles were on the way at nearly 7:00 p.m., 300 soldiers were quickly deployed, and anti-missile systems were activated. Out of 19 missiles, seven were destroyed over the sea, 11 were stopped over Doha, and only one landed in an empty part of the base, causing little damage.
Responding to if Qatar had ties with Iran or if it knew about the attack, Al-Ansari strongly denied it, saying they would never risk their people for political games.
“We do not take it lightly for our country to be attacked by missiles from any side, and we would never do that as part of political posturing or a game in the region,” he said, according to CNN.
“We would not put our people in the line of danger. 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,” Ansari added.
Meanwhile, soon after the attack, US President Donald Trump called Qatar’s Emir and said Israel was ready for a ceasefire. He asked Qatar to convince Iran to do the same. Qatar acted quickly with its prime minister speaking to the US vice president and a top negotiator contacting Iran.
With Qatar’s prompt action, a ceasefire was agreed upon within hours.
“We could have responded with force. But we saw a chance for peace—and we took it,” Al-Ansari was quoted as saying.
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