An Iranian missile strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas production facility has pushed Doha to take direct diplomatic action against Tehran, with the Gulf state ordering the expulsion of Iranian military and security attaches stationed at the embassy in Doha.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that the attaches, along with staff assigned to their offices, have been given 24 hours to leave the country.
The ministry cited what it described as “repeated Iranian targeting and brutal aggression” against Qatar’s sovereignty and security, calling it “a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, Security Council Resolution No. 2817 and the rules of good neighborliness.”
Doha stopped short of a full diplomatic rupture but issued a direct warning: if Tehran does not change course, Qatar will escalate its response. “Qatar reserves its right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security, in accordance with international law,” the ministry stated, adding that further measures would follow if “this hostile approach” continues.
The expulsion comes against the backdrop of a wider regional conflict that has been unfolding since February 28, when Israel and the United States launched a joint offensive against Iran. The campaign has killed approximately 1,300 people to date, among them then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has since struck back with drone and missile attacks across the region, hitting targets in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting American military forces — causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and significant disruptions to global aviation and financial markets.
Qatar’s move signals that Tehran’s retaliatory campaign is now generating direct political costs among Gulf neighbors that had, until this point, largely avoided open confrontation with Iran.
