Fears of an imminent assault by Iran targeting American interests in Qatar led the Middle Eastern nation to shut down its airspace. Additionally, the U.S. mandated a shelter-in-place directive for its citizens residing in the region.
Airspace over the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is now officially closed, according to a new NOTAM. pic.twitter.com/UvL59XIh55
— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) June 23, 2025
Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. This base serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command and accommodates approximately 10,000 troops. The country is also home to various American university branches, such as Texas A&M University, Northwestern, and Georgetown.
Following the U.S. airstrike on its nuclear facilities on Saturday night, Iran has vowed to retaliate. B-2 bombers carried out the attack, deploying bunker-penetrating bombs on three separate locations. The successful operation significantly damaged the targeted sites, provoking ire from Iran.
🚨NEW — The U.S. has ordered a “shelter in place” for Americans in Qatar.pic.twitter.com/aYCYUgnLse
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 23, 2025
The U.S. didn’t offer specifics on an expected attack, but noted that now was the time to be on the alert:
The embassy said it made the recommendation “out of an abundance of caution” but provided no other details. Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, where approximately 10,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed. The United Kingdom’s Qatar embassy issued a similar warning after the U.S.
However, Fox News’s Jennifer Griffin reported Monday that officials are worried about an “imminent” attack:
🚨BREAKING: Reports of “imminent” Iranian threat on a US base in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/shNI34knRn
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 23, 2025
Griffin:
There’s very significant intelligence and a warning that Iran could strike at any time, an imminent threat to Qatar. Of course, Cutter is where Al Udeid is. That’s the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Normally, there would be 10,000 U.S. troops stationed there.
Last week, we reported that most of the aircraft had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base. However, those missiles, crews, and ballistic, short and medium range from Iran would take just a few minutes to reach Qatar, and there’s also the possibility of swarming drones. So right now, high alert inside Cutter, we’ve seen the warnings at U.S. Embassy as well as at other embassies across Qatar.
The Qatari government took a confident tone, despite the fact that they closed their airspace:
Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson said the “advisory from a number of embassies to their citizens do not reflect the existence of specific threats.”
“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding, “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.”
