The shock of Israel’s first-ever strike on Qatari soil is reverberating in Tehran, where the attack is fueling doubts over the very purpose of negotiations with the West.
For many Iranian pundits, the timing of the strike -- hitting Hamas leaders as they allegedly reviewed a US-backed cease-fire and prisoner exchange proposal with Israel -- has reinforced suspicions that diplomacy is little more than a “trap.”
In the aftermath, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian that the targeted Hamas leaders were not only reviewing the US proposal but were also allegedly leaning toward accepting it.
Iranian hard-liners quickly seized on this detail.
The Tasnim news agency, an affiliate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), accused Israel of using “the mask of diplomatic negotiations” to attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders.
The agency, like many other conservative media outlets, noted that despite hosting the largest US military installation in the Middle East and signing contracts worth billions of dollars with the United States, Qatar was “unable to secure its own safety.”
Notably, even moderate and reformist commentators who support diplomacy with the West drew parallels to Israel’s June airstrikes on Iran, which occurred as Tehran and Washington were preparing for a new round of nuclear talks.
“It appears that America and Israel believe the purpose of missiles is to strike the negotiating table,” senior reformist figure Mohammad Ali Abtahi wrote on X. “They don’t like negotiations.”
Where Were The Air Defenses?
Qatar’s air defenses include Patriot missile batteries and the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system, both advanced US-made military hardware. Yet, Israeli missiles struck their target without a problem.
This has led some in Iran to claim that Qatar either ignored warnings of inbound missiles or its air defenses are entirely operated by the United States.
Masoud Barati, a hardline commentator, mocked Qatar on X for “not being control of its own air defenses.”
Some noted that Qatari air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles when Tehran attacked the Al Udeid Air Base -- where US Central Command (CENTCOM) forward headquarters is based -- in June in retaliation for the US bombing of its nuclear facilities.
Mehrdad Farahmand, a Middle East analyst based in Turkey, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that the air defenses did not detect the missiles “shows that America…had no objections to the attack.”
Farahmand said this raises major questions, given the extensive US-Qatar defense cooperation agreements.
Boon For Iran?
Some conservatives view the attack as a boon for Iran to raise its regional profile as a defender of sovereignty.
Political commentator Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaght said Arab states in the Middle East may recalibrate their policy toward Tehran and regard Iran with “more open eyes.”
Similarly, the IRGC-affiliated news website Mashregh argued that the attack allows Iran to strengthen its narrative in global public opinion.
It noted that Tehran can use the incident to bolster the so-called axis of resistance -- its regional network of proxies and armed groups -- against Israel.
The outlet added that this move “has not only further isolated Israel regionally and globally but also enhanced Iran’s position as a defender of national sovereignty and the axis of resistance across regional, diplomatic, military, and public opinion fronts.”
Despite the commentary against negotiating with the United States, Tehran seems keen on resuming talks, even if indirect, with Washington in a bid to prevent the return of UN sanctions, which could happen by the end of the month.
