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2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar

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2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
Part of the 2026 Iran war

Map of Qatar
Date28 February 2026 – Present
Location
Qatar
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Iran Qatar
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Units involved
See order of battle
Casualties and losses
Iran 2 Su-24 aircraft downed (per Qatar) Qatar 16 civilians injured[1]
Canada None[2]

Since the 2026 Iran war began with United States and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February 2026, following the breakdown of US-Iran talks and negotiations, locations across Qatar have been subject to multiple retaliatory Iranian missile strikes. Qatar's airspace was closed the day of the first strikes, disrupting flights from Hamad International Airport in the capital, Doha. The Qatari government reported that it had shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers on 2 March 2026, and several missiles have been intercepted.

Background

Previous incidents

Main article: 2025 Iranian strikes on Al Udeid Air Base

During the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, Iran struck a US base in the country.[3] Iranian officials reportedly gave Qatar advance notice of the attack before launching it, which was intended to minimize damage and allow for de-escalation.[4]

Start of the conflict

In late February 2026, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran to target strategic facilities and core government officials, starting a conflict that is currently ongoing. The airstrikes were announced by United States President Donald Trump shortly after, who stated that the operation was intended to impair the Iranian nuclear program and initiate a regime change following unsuccessful talks immediately prior.[5][6] Iran retaliated shortly after, striking nations across the Persian Gulf, including Qatar and its close neighbors Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Incidents

Iranian strikes

On 28 February 2026, 16 people were injured by shrapnel following the interception of an Iranian missile barrage by Qatari air defenses. According to the head of Qatar's Ministry of the Interior, 66 missiles were fired in total and there were over 100 reports of falling shrapnel across the nation. The Ministry later alerted the public of the attack.[1]

On 2 March 2026, Qatari official Majed al-Ansari stated that a new wave of Iranian missiles that targeted locations such as the Hamad International Airport were intercepted, while announcing that Qatar would not engage with Iran.[7] The same day, the Ministry of Defence in Qatar claimed that Qatari F-15s had downed two Su-24 bombers from Iran and intercepted multiple drone and missile strikes.[8] Anonymous sources told CNN that the Su-24 targeted al-Udeid Air Base and Ras Laffan Industrial City, and that the aircraft were two minutes away from reaching Qatari territory when they were downed. A search is underway to recover the crew. This was the first air-air kill for the QEAF.[9] A UK Royal Air Force Typhoon shot down an attack drone directed at Qatar.[10]

Also on on 2 March, the Qatari Ministry of Defense announced that Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial Area were struck by two Iranian drones.[11]

On 3 March, an Iranian missile struck Al Udeid Air Base, but did not cause any casualties.[12]

Rejected claims of retaliatory strikes by Qatar

On 3 March 2026, Channel 12 (Israel) and various western media outlets reported that Qatar participated in strikes on Iran following Iranian attempts to directly strike Doha's airport.[13][14][15] Majed al-Ansari denied that Qatar had joined the "campaign targeting Iran".[14][16][17]

IRGC cell arrests

On 4 March 2026, Qatar said it had arrested 10 people suspected of being linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, claiming that they uncovered two cells that were "operating on behalf" of the IRGC. Seven were alleged to have been tasked with spying while the other three were said to be assigned to carry out "acts of sabotage" and were trained in the use of drones.[18]

Impact

According to the Associated Press, Doha's Hamad International Airport experienced disruptions following the closure of Qatari airspace on 28 February 2026. Flight cancellations were reported as a result, and countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates closed their respective airspaces the same day.[19]

On 2 March, soon after the reported drone attack on Qatar's gas facilities in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed, QatarEnergy announced that it has ceased all production of natural gas and its associated products, reportedly on order by Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi.[11] It later announced that it was declaring Force Majeure on its contracts with buyers, and internal sources speaking to Reuters said that it would soon be shutting down gas liquefication, and that restarting it would take weeks.[20] These announcements caused sharp increases in world gas prices, which analysts said was a part of the Iranian regime's plan to apply pressure on the world to stop the war.[21] On 6 March, al-Kaabi warned that if the war continues other Gulf energy producers may be forced to halt exports and declare Force Majeure, and that "this will bring down economies of the world".[22] This announcement caused a jump in global oil prices.[23]

Reactions

Domestic

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the strikes, calling them a "reckless and irresponsible" violation of Qatar's sovereignty. A spokesperson from the Foreign Affairs ministry stated that Qatar has the authority to respond "in accordance with international law".[1]

International

CBC News, citing the Canadian Department of National Defence's website, reported that Canadian soldiers of the Combined Aerospace Operations Center were present at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar at the time of the attack.[24] On 3 March 2026, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed Canadian military presence in the Middle East and confirmed that they hadn't suffered any casualties. McGuinty also stated that the Canadian Armed Forces will “assess any potential impacts on CAF personnel in the region."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Abuomer, Enes. "Missile debris injures 16 in Qatar after Iran launches barrage". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Canadian troops in Middle East 'are all fine' amid Iran war, McGuinty says". Global News. 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Allies of US in the Gulf bear brunt of Iran attacks". BBC. 1 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Iran gave Qatar advance notice of pending attack on US bases". CNN. 23 June 2025. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  5. ^ Le Poidevin, Olivia; Hafezi, Parisa. "US-Iran talks end with no deal but potential signs of progress". Reuters. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  6. ^ Magid, Jacob (28 February 2026). "Trump indicates goal of Iran strikes is to topple regime; tells Iranian people: 'When we're finished, take over your government'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Iranian attacks targeted civilian infrastructure in Qatar including airport, spokesperson says". Reuters. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Qatar downs Iranian Su-24 jets as Iran strikes Gulf states". The Jerusalem Post. 2 March 2026. ISSN 0792-822X. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  9. ^ Salem, Mostafa (4 March 2026). "Exclusive: Minutes from disaster — how Qatar shot down two Iranian bombers in its first aerial combat operation". CNN. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  10. ^ "UK sends warship and drone-busting helicopters to the Eastern Mediterranean to protect Brits and allies in the region". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  11. ^ a b Stapczynski, Stephen; Liao, Ruth; El Wardany, Salma (4 March 2026). "Qatar's Hard-Won Reputation as Safest Gas Supplier Lost in Days". Bloomberg.
  12. ^ Rios, Michael (3 March 2026). "Iranian missile hits largest US military base in Middle East, Qatar says". CNN. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Guerra Iran, Israele: Lanciati attacchi su larga scala a Teheran. LIVE". Sky TG24 (in Italian). 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Qatar carried out strikes in Iran after attack on Doha". The Jerusalem Post. 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  15. ^ Freiberg, Nava (3 March 2026). "Qatar carried out strikes in Iran, Saudi Arabia to soon follow — Israeli reports". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  16. ^ Al Ansari, Majed (3 March 2026). "Qatar not part of campaign targeting Iran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson".
  17. ^ "Qatar denies Israeli media report that it's carrying out retaliatory strikes in Iran". The Times of Israel. 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  18. ^ Saifi, Zeena (3 March 2026). "Qatar arrests 10 people suspected of links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Disruption at Qatar's Doha airport as attack on Iran affects flights across Middle East and beyond". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  20. ^ Rashad, Marwa (4 March 2026). "Exclusive: Qatar shuts gas liquefaction, will take weeks to restart, sources say". Reuters.
  21. ^ Farchy, Jack; Longley, Alex; Azevedo Rocha, Priscila; Gorrivan, Charles; Lee, Julian (3 March 2026). "Trump's War on Iran Has Traders Staring Down an Energy Crisis". Bloomberg.
  22. ^ England, Andrew; Moore, Malcolm (6 March 2026). "Qatar warns war will force Gulf to stop energy exports 'within days'". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Oil price jumps after Qatar minister warns all Gulf production could stop". BBC News. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Did Canadian exchange officers participate in U.S. Iran strike planning? DND says no, but questions linger". CBC News. 1 March 2026. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026. The Department of National Defence website shows that as many as 18 military personnel with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are attached to Operation Foundation, working at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and at the Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
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