Iran launched several missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, but U.S. Central Command “successfully defended against the attack,” a defense official said.
“There are no injuries to U.S. personnel,” the official said. “We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region.”
No official information was immediately available about claims by Iran that it also launched attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq.
The missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base marks the first known retaliation from Iran since the U.S. military air and missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Following the attack, President Trump thanked Iran on social media for giving the United States “early notice,” which he said “ “made it possible for no lives to be lost and nobody to be injured.”
Trump did not specify how or when Iran had warned U.S. officials about the missile attack.
“Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their “system,” and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,” Trump wrote.
Prior to the American strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of potential reprisals on U.S. personnel and facilities in the area. In a Truth Social post on Trump warned that any retaliation would “BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
On Saturday, U.S. forces targeted three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Dozens of aircraft, including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, as well as a Navy submarine, launched dozens of munitions, including Tomahawk missiles and GBU-57 bunker busters at the Iranian facilities. American involvement came after more than a week of fighting between Israel and Iran, which began with Israeli attacks on Tehran that targeted high-ranking military figures and nuclear scientists.
Although Trump claimed that the sites were “completely and totally obliterated,” the initial assessment on Sunday, from both American and Israeli defense officials, suggests the facilities were damaged. Iran claimed it had moved materials out of the sites prior to the American attack. The exact death toll from Operation Midnight Hammer is unclear.
The United States has approximately 40,000 troops in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, including major bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. There are also several smaller outposts in Iraq, Jordan and Syria. These installations came under attack several times since the outbreak of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023, with pro-Iranian groups firing rockets and one-way attack drones at American sites. Dozens of Americans were injured throughout the region, and three Army Reserve soldiers were killed in January 2024 at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan. U.S. troops deploying to the Middle East are now training in ways that simulate drone and rocket attacks.
UPDATE: 06/23/2025: After publication, this story was updated with comments from President Donald Trump and with a statement from a defense official that no U.S. troops were injured by the Iranian missile attack against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
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