Qatar has long been accused by Israel of being cosy with Iran, an allegation Saudi Arabia and the UAE also used as a pretext to embargo it almost a decade ago.
Doha has always rejected that charge, insisting it prioritizes diplomacy and cordial ties with all its neighbors. That stance hasn’t spared it from Iran’s wrath in Tehran’s spiraling war with the US and Israel — and Qatar is proving it can defend itself.
On Monday, in the first manned aerial combat of the conflict, Qatari fighter jets shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers headed toward Al-Udeid Air Base — the US’ largest in the Middle East — and the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas complex. The attacking aircraft were flying low to evade radar, CNN reported, and were minutes from their targets before Qatari F-15s destroyed them.
Doha’s tone toward Tehran is now notably sharper. Qatar accepted taking the final volleys of the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran, but in a call with Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday, Qatar’s prime minister said the attacks this week showed Tehran had “no desire” to de-escalate and was instead trying to drag its neighbors into the war.
The unusually blunt readout underscores what could be a long enmity between the region and Tehran, with Arab Gulf states concluding that Iran’s drones, missiles, and proxies — essentially the regime itself — pose a regional threat.