Iran targeted civilian infrastructure such as its airport, and such attacks cannot remain unanswered, the Qatari foreign ministry has said, stressing that Doha is not engaging with Tehran diplomatically at this point. Majed Al Ansari, official spokesperson of Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed this to CNN.
Qatar has come under attack as Israel retaliates to the coordinated strikes by the US and Israel that began Saturday. Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East. Iran is targeting US allies in the region to send a message that siding with its enemy will have consequences.
Earlier, Qatar condemned the Iranian missile attacks and said it "retains its full right to respond". It termed the strikes a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty. In the past, Qatar has warned that any military escalation between the US and Iran would be "catastrophic" for the region and urged restraint.
Earlier, the US and six Gulf nations issued a joint statement, condemning Iran's "indiscriminate" and "reckless" attacks. "The State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America strongly condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran's indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories throughout the region, including Bahrain, Iraq (including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq), Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates," the statement said.
"These unjustified attacks targeted sovereign territories, endangered civilians, and damaged civilian infrastructure. Iran's actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of numerous countries and threatens regional stability. Targeting civilians and countries not engaged in hostilities is reckless and destabilising," the joint statement added.
"We stand united in defense of our citizens, our sovereignty, and our territory. We reaffirm our right to self-defense against these attacks, and we reiterate our commitment to regional security. We commend the effective cooperation in air and missile defense, which prevented greater loss of life and destruction," it said.
