How Iran launched missile attacks on US base in Qatar
•Concerns over planned closing of critical oil route
•Uncertainty over Nigeria-Doha flights
Emmanuel Addehin Abuja and ChineduEze in Lagos
US President, Donald Trump, last night announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to a 12-day war, during which both Israel and the US sought to degrade Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.
In a Truth Social post announcing the development, Trump said the ceasefire will start to take effect in about six hours from when he spoke, after Israel and Iran have “wound down” their final strikes against each other.
Trump stated that the ceasefire will come fully into place in 24 hours, bringing about an official end to the war. He said: “Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day”.
It was not completely clear from Trump’s post when each side will begin holding its fire. However, Trump added: “I would like to congratulate both countries —- Israel and Iran —- on having the stamina, courage, and intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘the 12-Day war,’”.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total ceasefire (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the war will be considered, ended,” the president wrote on social media.
Neither Iran nor Israel had made any comments about a pending ceasefire. The ceasefire will be phased in during the next 24 hours, according to the president’s post.
In an interview on Fox News that began moments after the president’s announcement, Vice President JD Vance praised Trump for getting the deal “across the finish line.”
“We were actually working on that just as I left the White House to come over here. So that’s good news, that the president was able to get that across the finish line,” Vance said.
Vance also said that he read a draft of Trump’s post “two minutes before we went on the air” and that it was “a little bit different from what the president had shown me a couple of hours ago. But again, I knew that he was working the phones as I was on the way over here.
“Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have, because we destroyed it,” Vance added.
Earlier, yesterday, Iran launched missile attacks on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile Middle Eastern region.
Iran said the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
The country announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression.”
The Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq was also targeted, an Iraqi security official who was not authorised to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately clear if there was damage to the Iraq base or any injuries.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.” While condemning the attack on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar stated that it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. It said its airspace was safe.
The retaliation came a day after the U.S. launched a surprise attack Sunday morning on three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country’s struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests.
As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme, AP said.
On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,” but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran’s government, their arch-enemy since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
But hours after the U.S. launched attacks on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, the Iranian parliament expressed support for shutting down the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical routes for fossil fuel transportation, particularly oil and LNG.
SardarEsmailKowsari, a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a member of parliament, told local media that shutting down the strait “is under consideration,” adding that “Iran will make the best decision with determination.”
“Our hands are wide open when it comes to punishing the enemy, and the military response was only part of our overall response,” Kowsari said, as quoted by EuroNews.
Besides, reports said that if tensions escalate, Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles could target oil platforms and pipelines in the strait, or attack commercial vessels. Surface-to-surface missiles might strike tankers or coastal ports, while drone and airstrikes could disable navigation systems or radar infrastructure at key shipping terminals.
Also, unmanned aerial vehicles, including Iran’s Shahed drones, may be deployed to disrupt specific shipping lanes or critical installations. Iran could also consider deploying naval assets to physically obstruct access to the Strait.
EuroNews noted that Tehran has precedent in this domain, citing its 2012 cyberattack on Saudi Arabia’s oil sector as evidence of its evolving capabilities.
The possibility of closing the Strait is one of several retaliatory measures Iran may consider. Others could include terrorist attacks on the European mainland, according to security analyst and former French intelligence officer Claude Moniquet, who spoke to EuroNews.
Nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil and a substantial portion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Europe relies on Gulf nations particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE—for oil and LNG supplies, most of which transit through the strategic waterway.
A blockade by Iran could send global oil prices soaring and trigger energy shortages across Europe, particularly in countries heavily dependent on Middle Eastern fuel.
Meanwhile, there was uncertainty yesterday over flights from Lagos, Abuja and Kano to Doha, capital of Qatar, with fears that they may be disrupted as the Middle East nation announced a temporary shutdown of its airspace due to the conflict between Israel and Iran.
This was confirmed by the Qatari foreign ministry, which stated that the move was aimed at ensuring the safety of residents and visitors to the country.
Following the bombing of its nuclear sites by the United States, Iran has continued to threaten that it would retaliate against the US, which many fear may ignite extended war. The Qatari government said it believed that this would constitute a strong threat against the civilian population and decided to close its airspace.
In the last few years, Doha has grown very fast as a hub, where travellers from all over the world land to connect flights to farther destinations and Qatar Airways has been airlifting many Nigerians from different airports to its hub, the Hamad International Airport, Doha.
Reacting to the new development, the Group Managing Director, Finchglow Holdings, Bankole Bernard, said that Qatar’s shutdown of its airspace was expected, but noted that it would affect flights from Nigeria especially flights operated by Qatar Airways.
Bernard said while no official message has been sent from Qatar Airways to travel agencies yet, this was expected as flights would no longer be operated around Qatar’s airspace.
“This will affect flights from Nigeria. We are on the verge of a third world war. Qatar Airways have not sent any message to us yet to say they are suspending but I know they will announce soon. A lot of airlines have suspended operations to Qatar.
“Qatar Airways operates daily flights to Lagos and Abuja and operates a few weekly flights to Kano. So, it’s a huge passenger traffic that would be affected. Qatar still operated today (yesterday). Qatar is in the Middle East and someone can get on the plane and blow up the plane. So, this is a very tough time to fly,” Bernard said.
In the statement Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the closure of its airspace was to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. In a separate statement in response to the embassy notice, the foreign ministry said the warning did “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats.
“The security situation in the country is stable. 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”, the statement said.
Flight tracking websites showed planes diverting to other airports following the closure of Qatari airspace. According to Flightradar24, there were 100 flights bound for Doha. Hamad International Airport is one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports on international traffic with around 140,000 passengers passing through per day.