https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/19/world/middleeast/qatar-iran-us-war.html
To grasp the global collateral damage from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, consider the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.
A close U.S. ally and longtime mediator between Washington and Tehran, Qatar’s government sought to avert the war. When that failed, Qatari officials warned of the dangers of a prolonged conflict.
Resource-rich Qatar nonetheless faced more than 700 Iranian missile and drone attacks, which have targeted Gulf countries that host American military bases. These attacks forced Qatar to suspend natural gas production, which generates its vast wealth and normally accounts for a fifth of the global supply.
It was one of a number of disruptions caused by the war that sent economic shock waves around the world.
A fragile cease-fire announced on April 7 suspended U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliation against Israel and the Gulf Arab states. Yet, even if the truce holds, the war has struck at the heart of Qatar’s interests, upending the economy and shaking the nation’s reputation as a haven for business.
As it takes stock, the Qatari government will be forced to swallow a bitter pill, analysts say: Neither its strong ties with the United States nor its cordial relationship with Iran have spared it from pain.
Qatar’s case reflects the thorny position that Gulf countries have found themselves in during the war. Trapped between their chief ally and their neighbor, they are now forced to rethink their security strategies.
The war has caused a state of “strategic shock” for Qatar and its neighbors, said Rashid Al-Mohanadi, the vice president of the Center for International Policy Research, a think tank in Qatar.
“There was an assumption that such a big move in the region, like starting a war with Iran, would at least happen in consultation with the Gulf,” he said. “We thought we had a better working relationship with the United States.”
At the same time, he added, “the level of Iranian aggression on our capitals and on our cities and on our infrastructure has been just crazy.”
While many Gulf Arab countries have historically had an antagonistic relationship with Iran, Qatar — along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — has invested considerable political capital in building warmer ties in recent years. Many Gulf officials saw this as the most pragmatic way to contain the threat posed by Iran.
Now, all of these countries are re-evaluating their approaches to Iran.