Qatar rejects Iran claim that strikes only targeted US interests

Doha: Qatar has rejected Iranian assertions that missile attacks on the country were directed only at US interests, saying official documents submitted to the United Nations show that civilian, commercial and residential areas were struck.

Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Qatar relied on its formal UN submissions to document the attacks and urged Iran to refer to those records rather than selectively cite a security risk assessment prepared for operational purposes.

In a statement posted on X, Al Ansari said Qatar’s two identical letters dated March 1, 2026, under reference S/2026/110, documented the launch of Iranian missiles towards civilian, commercial and residential areas, causing damage and injuring 16 people.

He added that a Qatari letter dated July 20 recorded further attacks that injured three people, including a child.

Al Ansari said the document cited by Iran was a safety and security risk assessment prepared for the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference and was not intended to serve as a comprehensive record of events or a legal assessment.

He said the same document acknowledged direct attacks inside Qatar, including the strike on Ras Laffan gas facilities on March 18, as well as the temporary closure of Qatari airspace and disruption to civilian life.

Taking a single sentence from the document and removing it from its wider context could give a misleading picture of what happened, Al Ansari said.

Al Ansari said the success of Qatar’s armed forces in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones did not diminish the seriousness of the attacks or absolve those responsible for launching them.

He also criticised the description of the Ras Laffan attack as “alleged”, saying the incident had been formally documented in Qatar’s letter S/2026/207.

The facilities, he added, were national assets belonging to the Qatari people and formed an important part of global energy security.

Qatar was not a party to the conflict, Al Ansari said, arguing that attacks on its territory and civilian infrastructure could not be justified. He also rejected attempts to characterise destabilising actions in the Strait of Hormuz as legitimate responses.

He said such actions constituted violations of international law and that selective quotations or interpretations could not change the nature of what had occurred.

Qatar would continue its diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation, he added, maintaining its position that dialogue and peaceful means remained the best way to resolve disputes.

Qatar’s position follows an earlier phone call between Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

During that call, Araghchi said Iranian missile attacks had been directed at American interests and were not intended to target Qatar.

Sheikh Mohammed rejected that assertion, saying attacks had struck civilian and residential areas, including the vicinity of Hamad International Airport, critical infrastructure and industrial areas that included liquefied natural gas facilities. 

He also said the attacks had included drones and aircraft that entered Qatari airspace, and called for an immediate halt to attacks on countries that had sought to remain outside the conflict.

Qatar has previously said Iranian attacks also struck the Ras Laffan energy complex and rejected repeated Iranian claims that the strikes were limited to American interests or bases.