Alwaght- After the US aggression on Iran's nuclear enrichment sites and clear violation of the country's territorial sovereignty, only hours took the Iranian armed forces to give a strong response to the bullying American President Donald Trump, and with an attack on the US's most important and most strategic military base overseas, Iran once again crushed the legend of the US being a superpower.
While many in the world, including the now invalid International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and even the American media, cast doubts at Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities were completely destroyed in the US attack, regardless of the extent of the damage, Tehran once again proved its will and ability to slap the world's largest military power and the holder of the most nuclear weapons in the world by attacking Al-Udaid airbase in Qatar as an American military asset.
The message was well sent: The US military bases are not a source of intimidation to Iran, rather, they are easy targets for the Iranians, and when only a few people dream of saying no to the White House's bullying, the Iranians respond to Trump with missile language.
Significance of Al-Udaid airbase
It is highly important to pay attention to the choice of Al-Udeid base to respond to American aggression. Located at a desert southwest of the capital Doha, this base is the key platform of the US military operations in West Asia. The base was constructed in 1996 following a military cooperation pact with the Persian Gulf Arab emirate and has turned into a vital center for the US military presence and capabilities in the region.
This airbase is the largest US military facility in the Persian Gulf region and has the capacity to host more than 10,000 US military personnel.
Al-Udeid is also the headquarters of the US Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) and the main air operations base in the region.
This base is the largest US air operations command center in the region and plays a vital role in monitoring military activities, and given such a position, it was chosen as the main target of the IRGC’s retaliatory operation.
Although the Islamic Republic states that the reason for this choice is the role of this base as the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in carrying out the aggression, the more important goal in this choice was certainly to pay attention to the strategic location of this base and the symbolic importance of attacking it. In fact, Al-Udeid means the entire US military prestige that collapsed with a few missiles. Therefore, for Iran, it was more important than destroying a few planes and buildings in this attack, which would have been entirely achievable if such a goal had been intended. The main goal was to demonstrate Iran's deterrent power and the collapse of American military hegemony, especially at a time when Trump, by pursuing the policy of the crazy actor, wants to show that he sees no limits to execute military power.
Trump's stance shift before and after attack
A look at Trump's positions before and after Iran's Operation Annunciation of Victory against Al-Udaid base shows that the main aim of this operation has been realized and just contrary the surface of the story, namely intercepting the missiles and saving lives of the American soldiers and assets, Iran's response has been very painful.
Before the punitive Iranian operation, Trump and other senior White House officials had openly warned that any Iranian action would be met with a broader response. But after Iranian strike, the US president in his own social media platform True Social in a clear position thanked Iran for not killing the American forces.
Although Trump, who is known for making false claims, is certainly bluffing about Iran's notice to Washington before the attack, this reaction shows that Trump, upon seeing Iran's determination and will to respond and its ability to target American bases, was very fearful of the continuation of the conflict and was willing to back down from his initial positions. This means that Iran, in addition to punishing the aggressors and undermining the US's military prestige, has been quite successful in creating deterrence.
It should be noted that the matter did not end there, and Trump's surprising announcement that the Israeli regime had unilaterally agreed to a ceasefire confirmed the fact that Washington was deeply concerned about the regime's capability to survive under fatal Iranian missile strikes and that he should save Israel before full loss amid challenges of direct American involvement in the war.
Riddle of attack on a neutral country
Amid the issues related to Iran's punitive military action against the US aggression, the reaction of Qatar and other Persian Gulf States is of significance, to an extent that Washington will probably seek to fish on the troubled waters to overshadow its heavy loss with this marginal issue.
Iran has a very close and friendly relationship with Qatari government and people and their bilateral relations over the past years have been perfect and progressive at all levels. Certainly, Iran observed all security protocols in this operation to make sure there would be no damage to Qatar's interests and citizens. In other words, the Islamic Republic distinguished between Qatar and the US military in this attack.
But despite these friendly relations with Qatar, Iran considers it its legitimate right, based on international law and political custom, to consider legitimate military targets all US bases as sources of threat to its security and interests during war. If Iran's neighboring countries are concerned about maintaining their security, they must fully observe the principle of neutrality and not allow the presence and activity of American forces on their soil. The same Western countries violated Iran's territorial integrity and occupied it during World War II under the pretext of Iran not expelling German advisors despite Iran's declaration of neutrality.
