Qatar Confirms Iran’s Defensive Strikes Targeted US Military Facilities, No Civilians: Esmaeil Baghaei

TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has cited an official Qatari document submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), saying it confirms that Iran’s defensive strikes against US forces stationed in Qatar were directed at American military facilities and did not target civilian areas.

In a post on X on Thursday, Baghaei referred to Qatar’s submission to an extraordinary session of the ITU Council.

According to the document, Iran’s strikes were directed toward US military facilities, with civilian areas not targeted.

The Qatari document, prepared as part of a safety and security risk assessment, stated that almost all attacks had been directed at US military facilities.

It identified one exception involving an attack on gas facilities at Ras Laffan on March 18.

The assessment nevertheless stated that no civilian areas had been targeted and rated the current security risk to Qatar from the ongoing military operations as low.

Baghaei said the facilities targeted on March 18 were being used in support of US military operations against Iran and therefore should be viewed within the wider context of the conflict.

The Iranian spokesman contrasted what he described as Tehran’s focus on military objectives with US operations that Iran says have caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

He pointed to alleged US attacks on schools, hospitals, residential neighbourhoods, wedding ceremonies and bridges as examples of what he described as a contrasting approach to military operations.

Baghaei said Iran’s Armed Forces maintained a distinction between military targets and civilian populations and continued to observe what Tehran considers moral and humanitarian principles even under severe wartime conditions.

Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasised their ties with Qatar and other neighbouring countries while warning that Tehran reserves the right to respond if their territory or airspace is used for military operations against Iran.

Iran says its retaliatory attacks are directed exclusively at US military facilities and assets involved in operations against Iranian territory.

Tehran has also maintained that its military actions are part of its right to self-defence in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.

The latest statements come amid growing international attention to civilian casualties resulting from the continuing conflict.

Iranian officials have strongly condemned recent US strikes inside Iran, including an attack on a wedding ceremony in Sirik that Iranian authorities say killed civilians and wounded dozens of others.

Baghaei argued that the Qatari assessment demonstrates a distinction between attacks directed at military infrastructure and operations that affect civilian populations.

Iran continues to maintain that its military response is focused on military objectives while seeking to avoid harm to neighbouring countries and their civilian populations.

The issue has become increasingly significant as military operations spread across the region, with US bases in several Gulf states remaining central to Washington’s regional military posture.

The Qatari document cited by Tehran is likely to add further debate over the conduct of military operations in the region and the protection of civilian populations during the ongoing conflict.