Doha rebukes Tehran for claim that Iran’s attacks on Qatar are aimed at US

Doha on Wednesday rejected Tehran’s claim that Iranian attacks on Qatari territory were aimed at American targets rather than Qatar itself.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi repeated the claim during a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s state news agency reported.

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Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, “categorically rejected these claims,” saying the facts on the ground show the attacks struck civilian and residential areas in Qatar.

He said the strikes hit areas near Hamad International Airport, as well as vital infrastructure and industrial zones, including liquefied natural gas production facilities.

“This constitutes a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar and the principles of international law,” Sheikh Mohammed added.

Iran’s actions “reflect nothing but an escalatory approach by the Iranian side and do not indicate any genuine desire for de-escalation or a solution,” he said. “Rather, they seek to harm their neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs.”

The Qatari premier “called for an immediate halt to these attacks on countries in the region that have distanced themselves from this war,” saying the Iranian strikes show “no goodwill” toward neighboring states.

While Qatar “has always been inclined toward dialogue and diplomacy,” Sheikh Mohammed said the country would confront any aggression that threatens its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity or national interests.

He added that the Iranian attacks “cannot go unanswered,” citing Qatar’s inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

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