Iran launched a missile attack on a major US airbase in Qatar on Monday evening, a widely expected retaliation for American strikes on three of its nuclear sites a day earlier.

The strikes targeted the Al Udeid air base in Qatar, which is used by local forces as well as American, British and other foreign troops.

Qatari and US officials said no casualties or injuries were sustained in the attack, and Iran reportedly warned Doha in advance, signaling its likely intent to avoid a further escalation.

Iran announced on state television that it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression,” as martial music played.

The attack came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution, in light of threats from Iran. Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates also temporarily closed their airspace during the attack, and a number of airlines canceled flights amid the escalation. The US Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq activated its air defense system out of concern of a potential attack.

A US military official told Reuters that there was no Iranian attack detected at any US military base other than in Qatar, and that there was no impact on the Al Udeid air base. Iran, however, claimed that six missiles struck the base.

Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”

Iran’s National Security Council confirmed it had attacked the base in Qatar, adding that its response did not “pose any threat” to its Gulf neighbor.

“In response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities, a few hours ago, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran struck the US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar,” the council said in a statement, adding that the number of missiles used “was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.”

Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.

“This action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar,” it added.

Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest expeditionary wing in the world.

According to The New York Times, Iran notified Qatar ahead of its attack in order to minimize casualties and reduce any fallout in relations. Tehran “gave advanced notice that attacks were coming to minimize casualties,” the report said, citing three Iranian officials with knowledge of the plans.

Iran desired to retaliate symbolically for the US strikes on its nuclear sites on Sunday, but also sought to ensure that both sides could easily deescalate, similar to a 2020 case when Iran notified Iraq before firing missiles at an American base in Iraq in response to the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, according to three Iranian officials cited by the newspaper.

However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that it would continue its retaliation in response to the United States’ attacks, adding that if the US seeks negotiations, Israeli and US attacks must stop.

Qatar strongly condemned the Iranian attack, and said it had successfully intercepted the missiles, with no casualties or injuries reported. The base was evacuated earlier.

Doha considers the attack “a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter,” and “reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportionate to the nature and scale of this flagrant aggression,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, wrote in a statement.

“The Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles, and a clarifying statement detailing the circumstances of the attack will be issued later by the Ministry of Defense,” the statement said.

The air base had been evacuated earlier, given the ongoing regional tensions, and “all necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of personnel at the base, including Qatari armed forces, allied forces, and others. No casualties or injuries were reported as a result of the attack,” Al Ansari added.

Continued escalation “threatens to undermine security and stability in the region and could drag it into developments with catastrophic repercussions for international peace and security,” Al Ansari said, adding that Qatar “reiterates that it was among the first countries to warn against the consequences of Israeli escalation in the region, emphasizing the primacy of diplomatic solutions, and the importance of good neighborly relations and de-escalation.”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE strongly condemned the Iranian counterattack on the US base, and a number of European nations reiterated calls for a return to diplomacy.

Early Sunday morning local time, US forces bombed three crucial nuclear sites in Iran, at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, capping off more than a week of speculation over whether the United States would join Israel’s ongoing campaign aimed at thwarting Tehran’s plans to build a nuclear bomb.

US officials said the three sites were severely damaged in the attacks, although experts said it would take time to fully assess the impact of the strikes, in particular on Fordo, which is buried deep inside a mountain south of Tehran.

Israel launched a preemptive series of strikes on Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure, Iranian generals and nuclear scientists on June 13, after years of warning at the Islamic Republic was seeking to obtain nuclear bombs.

Iran, which avowedly seeks Israel’s destruction, has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel says it has recently taken steps toward weaponization.

Iran retaliated after Israel’s attacks by launching some 550 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel.

So far, Iran’s missile attacks have killed 24 people — all civilians — and wounded thousands in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.

Some of the missiles have hit apartment buildings, a university and a hospital, causing heavy damage.