For years, Qatar has been accused, primarily by Israel, of maintaining overly close relations with Iran; some even included it within the Iranian axis. Doha, for its part, has consistently rejected these accusations, arguing that its policy is based on diplomacy and maintaining proper relations with all its neighbors. However, this balancing policy didn’t shield it from Tehran’s anger amid the escalating war between Iran and the United States and Israel—and now Qatar is seeking to make clear that it’s also capable of defending itself.
Last week, one of the most unusual incidents in the conflict to date occurred: In the first manned aerial engagement of the war, Qatari fighter jets shot down two Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft that were en route to Al-Udeid air base—the largest American base in the Middle East—as well as toward the liquefied natural gas complex in Ras Laffan, the center of Qatari gas production. According to reports, the Iranian aircraft were flying at low altitude in an attempt to evade radar and were only minutes away from striking their targets when Qatari F-15 jets intercepted and destroyed them. Qatar also reported that it arrested at least two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were gathering intelligence on its territory.
Following these events, Qatar’s tone toward Iran has shifted. While Qatar had previously accepted the possibility that it might bear some of the consequences of the war between Israel and Iran, in a conversation with the Iranian foreign minister, Qatar’s prime minister emphasized that the recent attacks indicate that Tehran isn’t interested in de-escalation but rather seeks to drag its neighbors into the war.
The relatively sharp Qatari message reflects the consolidation of prolonged hostility between the Gulf states and Iran, even though the two countries had little affection for one another prior to the war. The Gulf states did not need convincing that Tehran’s drone and missile array, as well as its regional proxy network—in other words, the Iranian regime itself—constitute a direct regional threat that cannot be managed solely through diplomacy and negotiations and that requires active and coordinated action on their part.
For years, Qatar has been accused, primarily by Israel, of maintaining overly close relations with Iran; some even included it within the Iranian axis. Doha, for its part, has consistently rejected these accusations, arguing that its policy is based on diplomacy and maintaining proper relations with all its neighbors. However, this balancing policy didn’t shield it from Tehran’s anger amid the escalating war between Iran and the United States and Israel—and now Qatar is seeking to make clear that it’s also capable of defending itself.
Last week, one of the most unusual incidents in the conflict to date occurred: In the first manned aerial engagement of the war, Qatari fighter jets shot down two Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft that were en route to Al-Udeid air base—the largest American base in the Middle East—as well as toward the liquefied natural gas complex in Ras Laffan, the center of Qatari gas production. According to reports, the Iranian aircraft were flying at low altitude in an attempt to evade radar and were only minutes away from striking their targets when Qatari F-15 jets intercepted and destroyed them. Qatar also reported that it arrested at least two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were gathering intelligence on its territory.
Following these events, Qatar’s tone toward Iran has shifted. While Qatar had previously accepted the possibility that it might bear some of the consequences of the war between Israel and Iran, in a conversation with the Iranian foreign minister, Qatar’s prime minister emphasized that the recent attacks indicate that Tehran isn’t interested in de-escalation but rather seeks to drag its neighbors into the war.
The relatively sharp Qatari message reflects the consolidation of prolonged hostility between the Gulf states and Iran, even though the two countries had little affection for one another prior to the war. The Gulf states did not need convincing that Tehran’s drone and missile array, as well as its regional proxy network—in other words, the Iranian regime itself—constitute a direct regional threat that cannot be managed solely through diplomacy and negotiations and that requires active and coordinated action on their part.