In public, Qatar was insisting on the right to defend itself after Iran attacked a U.S. military site in the emirate. Behind the scenes, it was already mediating a truce between Israel and Iran.

The Pentagon already had begun taking measures to strengthen its firepower in the Middle East and protect U.S. bases there.

Iran’s military claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, marking a major escalation in the regional conflict. In a statement issued by the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,