Doha (TDI): Qatar has declared Iran’s military and security attaches, along with the staff of their respective offices, persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 24 hours.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered an official note to the Iranian Embassy on Wednesday, in a meeting between Director of Protocol, Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro, and Iranian Ambassador in Doha, Ali Salehabadi.
Qatar said the decision responds to repeated Iranian targeting and blatant aggression that violates its sovereignty and security, in flagrant breach of international law, United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2817, and principles of good neighborliness.
The ministry warned that continuation of this hostile approach will be met with additional measures to protect Qatar’s sovereignty, security, and national interests. It added Qatar reserves the right to take all necessary steps in accordance with international law.
Qatar Declares Iranian Embassy Military, Security Attaches “Persona Non Grata”
Doha | March 18, 2026
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… pic.twitter.com/yQachiM7Pk
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) March 18, 2026
These diplomatic move follows Iranian ballistic missile strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the heart of its LNG production, which caused fires, extensive damage, and a complete shutdown of output. Qatar’s forces intercepted four of five missiles; the fifth struck the facility.
On Thursday, Qatar also condemned Iranian attacks on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The ministry called them a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to global energy security, navigation, and the environment.
It stressed that Iran’s brutal attacks have crossed “all red lines by targeting civilians, civilian objects, and vital facilities,” and reiterated full solidarity with the brotherly nations.
Read More: Trump Warns of ‘Massive Retaliation’ After Iran Gas Field Strike
The Iranian strikes come in retaliation after Israeli forces hit the sector of the South Pars/North Dome field, the world’s largest shared natural gas reserve.
These reserves are located across the Gulf and are jointly shared with Qatar, making them particularly significant for regional and global energy supply. Gas tanks and refinery sections were damaged, fires broke out, workers were evacuated, and Iranian gas supplies to Iraq halted.
After this devastation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar to evacuate specific facilities, naming Ras Laffan Refinery, Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Samref Refinery, Jubail Petrochemical Complex, and Al Hosn Gas Field as “direct and legitimate targets.”
I strongly condemn attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure. Such aggressive acts will yield nothing for the Zionist–American enemy & their supporters. This will complicate the situation & could have uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world. https://t.co/FGtTZZjA6Y
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) March 18, 2026
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure in a post shared on social platform X. “Such aggressive acts will yield nothing for the Zionist-American enemy and their supporters. This will complicate the situation and could have uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world,” he said.
Qatar’s Ras Laffan accounts for roughly 20% of global LNG supply while South Pars fulfils 70% of Iran’s domestic gas needs. Brent crude prices rose above $106 per barrel amid fears of further disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy infrastructure in Iran has been under sustained attack, with Tehran responding through retaliatory strikes across the Gulf. However, the recent targeting of strategic LNG reserves and critical facilities marks a significant escalation, following Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, and intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib.
Muhammad Usman Hashmi
Muhammad Usman Hashmi is a researcher in International Relations, focusing on climate diplomacy, global governance, and political economy in the Global South. He has contributed to policy dialogues with the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia and serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the International Council on Human Rights, Peace and Politics. He is also associated with Rethinking Economics Islamabad, contributing to research on development and sustainability. He can be reached at musmanhashmi99@gmail.com
