US-Qatar

President Donald Trump flew home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an old baby blue Air Force One plane instead of the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet he arrived in, a surprise swap that came as the US and Iran once again began trading strikes. Trump offered little clarity on the swap, instead saying he would fly on the legacy aircraft "for old time's sake," and indicating that both aircraft would make a previously unscheduled stop on the way back to the US at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, a base used by US troops. The travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the US spent USD 400 million to retrofit. Images of the Qatari-gifted jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets. The swap was also announced less than a day after the US military conducted a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant ...

The inaugural trip aboard the Boeing Co. 747-8 will take the president to a dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

The approvals come as the US and Israel's war against Iran entered its ninth week since the conflict began, and more than three weeks after a fragile ceasefire took effect

The Ras Laffan LNG complex has suffered extensive destruction that will take up to five years to repair

The Ras Laffan Industrial City, home to the LNG plant that accounted for about a fifth of global supply before production was halted earlier this month

The decision marks the latest move by President Donald Trump's administration targeting Afghans who migrated to the US or are seeking to do so, part of a broader immigration crackdown

, Oct 11 The US military is moving forward with plans to build a dedicated facility in Idaho to train pilots from Qatar, an important US ally in the Middle East, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday. Hegseth, who made the announcement during a visit by Qatar's defence minister, said the facility to be built at the Mountain Home Air Force Base would host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase the lethality, interoperability. The arrangement is not unusual. Pentagon officials noted that similar facilities have been set up for other allies for decades, and the Idaho base already hosts a fighter squadron from Singapore. But the news drew a sharp rebuke from close Trump ally and right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who called the plan an abomination and accused the Qataris of being associated with Islamic terror organisations. No foreign country should have a military base on US soil. Especially Islamic countries, Loomer wrote in one

The move came weeks after Israel launched a military strike in Qatar's capital, Doha, targeting top Hamas leaders and sending shockwaves across the Gulf countries

Following Israeli strikes that killed a Qatari officer and five Hamas members in Doha, Trump praised Qatar's role and urged Israel to exercise restraint

President Donald Trump met Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed in New York days after an Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders heightened tensions between the US and its Gulf ally

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatar's prime minister on Friday before he visits Israel this weekend, showing how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha. Despite tensions between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio will arrive in Israel on Sunday for a two-day visit. It is a show of support for the increasingly isolated country before the United Nations holds likely contentious debate on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu opposes. Rubio also is expected to travel to a divisive archeological site in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for the capital of what they hope is an eventual independent nation. The same day his trip to Israel was announced, America's top diplomat sat down at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. There was n

Caught between two US allies, Trump said he spoke with both Netanyahu and Qatari leaders after the strike and that he assured Qatar that such an attack wouldn't happen again

President Donald Trump was trying to walk a delicate line following Israel's attack on Hamas officials in Qatar, distancing himself from the strike Tuesday but stopping short of condemning Israel for carrying out an audacious strike on the soil of another major US ally. Trump said the unilateral action directed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not advance Israel or America's goals." He offered notably muted pushback, however, even suggesting this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace. This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me, Trump said on social media hours after the strikes. Trump is seeking to soothe concerns of a Gulf ally that has played a key role in mediating between the US and Iran and its proxies, including during talks with Tehran-backed Hamas as the war with Israel in Gaza grinds on. The US also has about 10,000 troops stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, an installation that se

The Pentagon on Friday acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images Friday showing damage from the attack. Parnell said the strike did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base. He added: Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known

After Iran launched missile strikes on a US base in Qatar, the Indian embassy in Doha has urged the over 800,000-strong Indian community to stay calm and indoors

The State Department has lifted the shelter in place warning to Americans in Qatar that it issued earlier Monday ahead of Iranian missile launches at a US military base there in retaliation for weekend US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The embassy in Doha, which had also instructed official personnel to stay inside, revoked the guidance in a statement issued late Monday afternoon Washington time after nearly all of the missiles were intercepted and Iran signalled there would be no more. It noted that Qatari airspace, which had been closed earlier, remained closed and that the security situation in the country could change rapidly. Russia, China and Pakistan seek UN resolution condemning US strikes on Iran and calling for ceasefire The draft Security Council resolution, circulated to its 15 members for comments and obtained by The Associated Press, is almost certain to be vetoed by the United States in its present form. It could be changed in negotiations. It condemns in

Iran retaliated Monday for the US attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a main regional military hub for American forces. A US defence official says no casualties have been reported. As of this month, the US military had about 40,000 service members in the Middle East, according to a US official. Many of them are on ships at sea as part of a bolstering of forces as the conflict escalated between Israel and Iran, according to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations research and policy centre. Bases in the Middle East have been on heightened alert and taking additional security precautions in anticipation of potential strikes from Iran, while the Pentagon has shifted military aircraft and warships into and around the region during the conflict. The US has military sites spread across the region, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab

President Donald Trump thanked Iran for giving the US and allies early notice of Monday's retaliatory missile strike aimed at a major US military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar. The president expressed hope that Tehran with its reprisal for the US bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities had "gotten it all out of their system' and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war. I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done, Trump said on social media. I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same." The Iranian attack on US forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran's first act of direct retaliation against the US since Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Leon Panetta, who served

A journalist from NBC asked Donald Trump about the Pentagon modifying a Qatari Boeing 747 into a future Air Force One during his meeting with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

President Donald Trump kept up pressure Thursday on Iran, warning Tehran that a deal over its nuclear programme or potentially airstrikes are the only two solutions to the diplomatic impasse. Speaking in Qatar before business leaders, Trump said: We'd like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way, as opposed to a brutal way. There's only two: intelligent and brutal. Those are the two alternatives. Trump also said that Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had been pushing for diplomatic deal over Iran's nuclear programme. Qatar shares a massive offshore oil and gas field that's crucial to its wealth with Iran. I said last night that Iran is very lucky to have the emir because he's actually fighting for them. He doesn't want us to do a vicious blow to Iran, Trump said. He says, You can make a deal. You can make a deal.' He's really fighting. And I really mean this: I think that Iran should say a big thank you to the emir. At another point, Tru