Istanbul, 01 April (H.S.):
Qatar has said its armed forces successfully shot down two of three Iranian cruise missiles that targeted its territory, while the third missile struck an oil tanker in Qatari waters, underscoring the intense and widening danger in the West Asia conflict. The Gulf nation reported that all 21 crew members on the tanker were evacuated safely, with no injuries or fatalities despite the direct hit.
The Qatari Ministry of Defence, cited by Turkish news agency Anadolu (AA), confirmed that three Iranian cruise missiles were launched toward Qatar on Wednesday. The ministry stated on the social‑media platform X that the armed forces intercepted two of the missiles in mid‑air, while the third missile struck an oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy within Qatari territorial waters.
Authorities quickly activated crisis protocols and coordinated with maritime and emergency agencies to evacuate all 21 crew members from the vessel, bringing them ashore without any casualties. The incident has heightened alert in the Gulf, where several countries are now on high‑level defence‑readiness amid intensified Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for US–Israel air assaults on Iranian territory.
Escalating War in West Asia
The missile salvo comes amid a sharp escalation in the broader West Asia conflict, which expanded after the joint US–Israel airstrikes on Iran on 28 February 2026, leading to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.
Tehran has since launched multiple rounds of missiles and drones against targets in Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf states hosting US military facilities.
Iranian authorities claim that more than 1,340 people have been killed in American and Israeli bombings of Iranian sites since the campaign began. The latest strike on the QatarEnergy‑linked tanker illustrates how the hostilities are now spilling over into the economic and maritime heart of the Gulf, raising fears of further disruption to global energy flows, shipping routes and regional stability.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
