Consider This from NPR - Iran launches missiles at U.S. base in Qatar

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

On Monday, Iran struck back against the United States, firing missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar. The retaliatory strikes come two days after the U.S. attacked nuclear sites in Iran.In a twist, President Trump thanked Iran on social media for giving advance notice of the attacks, "which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured."Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR correspondents Aya Batrawy, who is on the ground in Dubai, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, reporting from Washington. Editor's note: This conversation was recorded prior to President Trump announcing that Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Less than 48 hours after the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran, Iran hit back, launching missile strikes on Monday toward a US base in Qatar. On social media, President Trump thanked Iran for giving the US early notice, quote, making it possible for no lives to be lost and nobody to be injured in the attack on Al Udeid air base. It's not clear yet whether the US will see the strikes as an escalation or as a limited response from Iran meant to offer an off-ramp. Nor is it clear yet what the US endgame may be, since directly joining

the fight over the weekend. The Trump administration has given conflicting statements. Here was Vice President JD Vance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. We have no interest in a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground. Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported this claim on CBS's Face the Nation. There was not attack on Iran. It was not an attack on the Iranian people. This wasn't a regime change move. And yet, later that same day,

President Trump posted on Truth Social, quote, it's not politically correct to use the term regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make America great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change? Question mark, question mark, question mark. Consider this. Trump campaigned on a promise that the U.S. would avoid the endless wars of the past in the Middle East. Are we on the precipice of another one? From NPR. Iran struck back at US forces on Monday.

An official not authorized to speak publicly on military matters told NPR the airbase was targeted by short and medium range ballistic missiles. Iran says it launched the strikes after US attacks on Iran's quote, peaceful nuclear facilities over the weekend. Ayyub Atraoui is on the ground for us in Dubai. Hey there, Ayyub. Hi. Hi, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman is reporting

here in Washington. Tom, I'm going to give you the first question. What more details do we have on these missile strikes by Iran? Well, a defense official said more than 10 or so short and medium-range missiles fired from Iran all were shot down by air defenses and again no casualties. Qatar's foreign ministry denounced the attack they said came from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps calling it a flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty and airspace. We do know that there was a shelter in place order before the attacks and also all U.S. bases in the region were placed on higher alert. Now, Iran claims it also fired a missile or missiles at a base in Iraq, but the

Pentagon had no reports of that. Iraq has closed its airspace and also had no reports there of any missiles fired. Yeah, Betraui on the ground for us in the region. Just situate us this attack on Qatar. How significant is that? That is a Gulf Arab state. It is friendly with the US. Trump just visited last month. Yeah, we've never seen an attack targeting US troops in Qatar before.

You know, Qatar walks a really fine line in the Gulf. It does share the world's biggest underwater gas field with Iran. And a few years ago, if you recall, when Arab neighbors did cut ties with Qatar, closed their ports, and Qatar's only border to it, Iran was one of the first countries that rushed to send over food and other vitals to Qatar.

And so yeah, Qatar was given an advance notice. It did that highly unusual step of closing its airspace for two hours before the attack, and then was able to shoot down those missiles. But you know also Qatar's leadership does have those close ties with Trump and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. You know Trump was just in the Gulf as you mentioned only last month meeting with Gulf rulers. You know he was also offered a Boeing aircraft to replace one of his older Air Force ones by Qatar. But what this attack does is it really just draws in more countries to

this conflict as a result of what began as Israel's attack on Iran 10 days ago. Countries across the region rushed to condemn in very strongly worded statements Iran's attack tonight and warned of this spiraling out of control. Spiraling out of control. Although Tom Bowman this is not entirely unexpected. It was just precisely this kind of retaliatory attack from Iran that US officials were worried about after they joined the fight over the weekend. Absolutely, this is a main concern. There were some 40,000 US personnel spread at bases all over the Middle East and again they are all

in heightened alert because of the attacks from the US as well as Israel during the more than a week or so. Now at some of these locations including the US Naval Base, it by harrained military dependents left more than a week or so. Now at some of these locations, including the U.S. Naval Base at Bahrain, military dependents left more than a week ago, and also satellite photos have shown both U.S. aircraft and ships leaving so they wouldn't be sitting ducks. Now it's interesting to note, as Eya pointed out, that the attacks on Al-Udeid were telegraphed by Iran to Qatar. So is this simply messaging? Basically Iran had to respond and do something because of the attacks on the nuclear facilities, but this was a very limited strike. I was talking with one retired senior officer who said,

listen, Iran had three choices. Do nothing, go in with massive missile strikes, or mount something limited, which is what we see here. But Mary Louise, we're in the middle of this right now. Will this be it? Will more bases be attacked? We just don't know. It's too early. Yeah. So many questions still to answer. Among those questions, Aya, circle back to something you just said about the concern of drawing more countries into the conflict. Does it seem that the US decision to bomb Iran may have widened the conflict, inadvertently drawn Gulf Arab states that would have been happy to sit on the sidelines to draw them right into this?

Yes, and this is exactly what they did not want to see happen. They do not want war or to be part of Israel's reshaping of the region of the Middle East. You know, when Qatar condemned that attack on Iran, it also said in that same statement, they've long been warning against Israel's escalations in the region so clearly linking that with today's attack. I've also been speaking with people in the Gulf who say the leaders here see the utility of Israel backed by the US obviously degrading Iran's nuclear enrichment and its missile program but this war directly threatens them now. They don't want to see regime change in chaos ensue in a country the size and scope of Iran You know the US history in Iraq

Afghanistan and Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe there and the crisis there They these are not seen as successes in the Middle East. Also, I'm here in Dubai You know this this place relies on foreign investment tourism, you know, booming real estate markets for its survival We saw flights being canceled tonight through Dubai the world's busiest for international transits and suspension of air travel over not just Qatar, but also Bahrain and Kuwait. And what should we make of this Trump from President Trump, this post from President Trump just coming through on social media, thanking Iran saying thanks for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, nobody to be injured. which made it possible for no lives to be lost, nobody to be injured. Does the fact that Iran gave advance messaging perhaps signal an attack to an attempt to strike back, preserve dignity, but not ratchet things up further? Yeah, so Trump says he hopes that, you know, Iran quote,

gets this out of their system now. You know, the thing is, this was measured by all degrees, this was a measured response. You know, I spoke with Badr Haseif, a Kuwaiti academic and professor just after Iran's attack towards this expansive air base in Qatar. And he called this a face-saving measure by Iran. Have a listen. My preference is not to have the Gulf in the middle of it all. But I think they had their choices were limited.

And going after infrastructure as opposed to humans, as opposed to civilians, hot spots, as opposed to closing Hormuz, right? I think that's the least damaging, very damaging still, but among the suite of options that they have, it's the least damaging. Yeah, so what he's saying here is that this attack is damaging to Gulf relations with Iran, but it did not produce casualties and Iran didn't pull the trigger of trying to shut down the Strait of Hormuz Which is that narrow waterway between Iran and the United Arab Emirates where a fifth of the world's oil and gas passes through And he notes the US attack while unprecedented and also severe on Iran was very targeted So he says look this could end here

But also the risk of miscalculation in this expanding is still very high the region is really on edge Tom Bowman pick up on that how worried is the US about Iran attempting to close the strait? No, there's great concern about that. Some 20% of the world's oil moves through the strait into the Arabian Sea. You could see Iran attack oil tankers, maybe try mining the strait, but at this point Mary Louise it's mostly talk. That's NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR International correspondent Aya Batraoui in Dubai. Thanks to you both.

You're welcome. Thank you. This episode was produced by Mark Rivers and Michael Levitt with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Adam Rainey, John Ketchum, James Heider, and Andrew Sussman. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. James Heider and Andrew Sussman. Our executive producer is Sammy Unigan. It's Consider This from NPR.

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