Qatar says it ‘reserves right to retaliate’ against Iran’s 'blatant' attack

ISTANBUL

Qatar said Monday that it “reserves the right to retaliate” against Tehran over what it called Iran’s “blatant attack” on Qatari territory.

Iranian strikes “cannot go unanswered," Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari told CNN.

“A price has to be paid,” he added.

Ansari said Doha is not currently engaging in diplomatic contacts with the Iranian government and is instead concentrating efforts on defending the country and safeguarding key infrastructure from the ongoing attacks.

He said Qatar has come under "more than 100 missiles and scores of drones,” noting that both civilian and commercial infrastructure have been targeted.

He said Qatar is “gravely concerned” over attacks on non-military sites across the Gulf, including energy facilities, following reports of drones intercepted near a Saudi oil refinery.

The Qatari military has implemented measures to protect onshore and offshore economic assets, Ansari said.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, killing several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with a series of drone and missile attacks that targeted Israel, US assets, and several Gulf countries.