Iran retaliated against the United States on Monday night by launching 14 ballistic missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a major U.S. military installation in the region. The missile strike followed U.S. airstrikes over the weekend that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
According to reports, 13 of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, while one landed outside the base perimeter. No casualties or damage have been reported thus far.
Iran’s decision to fire exactly 14 missiles was widely interpreted as symbolic, mirroring the 14 bunker-busting bombs dropped by the U.S. during its strikes—12 of which targeted Fordow and two aimed at Natanz.
Despite the retaliation, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that he does not intend to escalate the situation further. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump characterized Iran’s strike as “very weak” and claimed that Tehran had provided advance warning of the attack.
“CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” Trump wrote, urging both Iran and Israel to pursue de-escalation and negotiate peace.
Reports indicate that Al Udeid was evacuated last week, likely in anticipation of Iran’s response following the U.S. bombing campaign. Such advance warnings and deconfliction have precedent. In January 2020, after the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Iran launched missile strikes on the Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. That base, too, had been evacuated beforehand, with many analysts noting that Iran appeared to calibrate its response to avoid full-scale war.
Late Monday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that both Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire set to begin 12 hours after the announcement. However, Iranian officials have not confirmed any such agreement. CNN quoted an unnamed Iranian official saying Tehran had not received a formal ceasefire proposal.