Kamal Ghorui
Qatar on Wednesday expelled key Iranian military and security officials along with their staff from its territory, escalating tensions after missile strikes hit key energy infrastructure in the Gulf. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had declared the military and security attachés at the Iran embassy, along with their staff, “persona non grata” and ordered them to leave within 24 hours. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered an official note to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the State, stating that Qatar considers both the military attache and the security attache at the embassy, in addition to the staff of the two attache offices ‘persona non grata’, and requests that they leave the country within a maximum period of (24) hours,” the ministry said.The move followed a meeting between protocol chief Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro and Iran’s ambassador to Qatar, Ali Salehabadi. Doha said the decision came “in response to repeated Iranian targeting and the blatant aggression against the State of Qatar, which violated its sovereignty and security, in a flagrant breach of the principles of international law, United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2817, and the principles of good neighbourliness.” “The continuation of this hostile approach by the Iranian side will be met with additional measures by the State of Qatar, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security, and national interests,” the ministry added, stressing that the country “reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security, in accordance with the provisions of international law.” The diplomatic fallout came after missile strikes targeted the Ras Laffan Industrial City, a critical gas processing hub. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said emergency teams were responding to a fire “following an Iranian targeting,” while QatarEnergy confirmed the site had suffered “significant damage.” “QatarEnergy confirms that Ras Laffan Industrial City this evening has been the subject of missile attacks. Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the resulting fires, as extensive damage has been caused. All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time,” the company said.Qatar warned the strikes marked a “dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of the State’s sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security and the stability of the region.”
