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Iran retaliated Monday for the U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a main regional military hub for American forces. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that no Americans were harmed and “hardly any damage was done.” As of this month, the U.S. military had about 40,000 service members in the Middle East, according to a U.S. official. Many of them are on ships at sea as part of a bolstering of forces as the conflict escalated between Israel and Iran, according to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations research and policy center. Bases in the Middle East have been on heightened alert and taking additional security precautions in anticipation of potential strikes from Iran, while the Pentagon has shifted military aircraft and warships into and around the region during the conflict. The U.S. has military sites spread across the region, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Here's a look at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar: Al Udeid hosts thousands of service members The sprawling facility hosts thousands of U.S. service members and served as a major staging ground for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the height of both, Al Udeid housed some 10,000 U.S. troops, and that number dropped to about 8,000 as of 2022. The forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command, Al Udeid is built on a flat stretch of desert about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Qatar’s capital, Doha. Over two decades, the gas-rich Gulf country has spent some $8 billion in developing the base, once considered so sensitive that American military officers would say only that it was somewhere “in southwest Asia.” Trump has visited Al Udeid Trump visited the air base during a trip to the region last month. It was the first time a sitting U.S. president had traveled to the installation in more than 20 years. Al Udeid cleared its tarmacs Last week, ahead of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Al Udeid saw many of the transport planes, fighter jets and drones typically on its tarmac dispersed. In a June 18 satellite photo taken by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press, the air base’s tarmac had emptied. The U.S. military has not acknowledged the change, which came after ships off the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet base in Bahrain also had dispersed. That’s typically a military strategy to ensure your fighting ships and planes aren’t destroyed in case of an attack.

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres is publicly and privately “being supportive of any diplomatic efforts that can be restored,”  the U.N. spokesman has said. Asked about France and Russia who have offered to mediate in the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there are also other countries: “We’ve seen Oman being very productive in that sense, and I think anyone that can help, should help.” Iran launches missiles at US military base in Qatar The secretary-general “has condemned every escalation in this conflict,” Dujarric told U.N. reporters Monday. “What we need to see is not more missiles going both ways or different ways. What we need to see is, as we said, a return to diplomacy.” 'The spiral of chaos must stop,' says French President He stressed: “The more we see unilateral use of force, the more we see violations of international law, the riskier the region gets.”

U.S. stocks are climbing, and the price of oil is tumbling Monday on growing hopes that Iran will not disrupt the global flow of crude, something that would hurt economies worldwide but also its own, following the United States’ bunker-busting entry into its war with Israel. The S&P 500 was 0.7% higher in afternoon trading, coming off a week where stock prices had jumped up and down on worries about the conflict potentially escalating. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 269 points, or 0.6%, as of 2 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher. The price of oil did jump 4% shortly after trading began Sunday night, a signal of rising worries as investors got their first chance to react to the U.S. bombings. But it quickly erased all those gains and swung to a sharp loss as the focus shifted from what the U.S. military did to how Iran would react. By Monday afternoon, the price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. oil was down 6.1% at $69.34. Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 5.3% to $71.50 per barrel. That brought oil prices nearly back to where they were before the fighting began over a week ago, when a barrel of U.S. crude was just above $68. The losses accelerated sharply Monday after Iran announced a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which the U.S. military uses. Iran said it matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites this past weekend, which could be a potential signal of a desire to deescalate the conflict. US confirms Iran missile attack on Qatar air base Perhaps most importantly for financial markets, that retaliation did not seem to target the flow of oil. The fear throughout the Israel-Iran war has been that it could squeeze the world’s supply of oil, which would pump up prices for it, gasoline and other products refined from crude. Iran is a major producer of crude, and it could also try to block the Strait of Hormuz off its coast, through which 20% of the world’s daily oil needs passes on ships. Several analysts said Iran would likely not close the waterway because Iran itself uses the strait to move its own crude, mostly to China, and it needs the revenue made from such sales of oil. “It’s a scorched earth possibility, a Sherman-burning-Atlanta move,” said Tom Kloza, chief market analyst at Turner Mason & Co. “It’s not probable.” Neil Newman, managing director of Atris Advisory Japan, said hope remains that the Israel-Iran war could be a short conflict, with the thinking being “the one big hit by the Americans will be effective and then we’ll get back to sort of business as usual, in which case there is no need for an immediate, panicky type of reaction.” Of course, not everyone is sure about Iran’s next move. Andy Lipow, a Houston analyst covering oil markets for 45 years, said countries are not always rational actors and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Tehran lashed out for political or emotional reasons. “If the Strait of Hormuz was completely shut down, oil prices would rise to $120 to $130 a barrel,” said Lipow, predicting that that would translate to about $4.50 a gallon at the pump and hurt consumers in other ways. White House defends its massive bombing campaign against Iran  “It would mean higher prices for all those goods transported by truck, and it would be more difficult for the Fed to lower interest rates.” The Federal Reserve has been hesitant to lower interest rates this year because it’s waiting to see how much President Donald Trump’s tariffs will hurt the economy and raise inflation. Inflation has remained relatively tame recently, but a rise in oil and gasoline prices would put upward pressure on it. That in turn could keep the Fed on hold because cuts to rates can fan inflation higher, along with giving the economy a boost. A preliminary report on Monday suggested tariffs are pushing up prices for U.S. businesses, whose overall activity is growing by more than economists expected. The data from the survey “corroborate speculation that the Fed will remain on hold for some time,” according to Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Oil prices jump following US strikes on Iran In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman said she would support cutting rates at the Fed's next meeting in just a month, as long as “inflation pressures remain contained.” The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.30% from 4.38% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, dropped to 3.82% from 3.90%. On Wall Street, Elon Musk's Tesla was the single strongest force pushing the S&P 500 higher after jumping 9.4%. The electric-vehicle company began a test run on Sunday of a small squad of self-driving cabs in Austin, Texas. It's something that Musk has long been touting and integral to Tesla's stock price being as high as it is. Hims & Hers Health tumbled 32.3% after Novo Nordisk said it will no longer work with the company to sell its popular Wegovy obesity drug. Novo Nordisk's stock that trades in the United States fell 5.7%. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell modestly across Europe after finishing mixed in Asia. France’s CAC 40 sank 0.7%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed France’s “solidarity” towards Qatar and urged all parties for “de-escalation and return to the table of negotiations,” following the missile attack on a U.S. military base. In a message posted on X, Macron said “the spiral of chaos must stop.” Iran launches missile attacks on US base in Qatar French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot denounced a “dangerous escalation for which Iran bears a heavy responsibility.” Speaking on national television France 2, Barrot said there’s “a spiral of violence that puts the region at risk of a generalized conflagration.” Earlier on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron attended a national security meeting on the crisis between Israel and Iran in the Jupiter room at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Qatar Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Al Udeid base by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards calling it “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.” The ministry added that the continuation of such military activities endangers security and stability of the region. Iran launches missile attacks on US bases in Qatar and Iraq “We call for an immediate end to all military activities,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said. Qatar’s Defense Ministry says Iranian strikes on the gas-rich nation did not inflict any casualties. The ministry added that Qatari forces took part in intercepting Iranian missiles that were directed toward the Al Udeid base that houses U.S. troops. Blasts rock Qatar as Iran threatens retaliation over US strikes on nuclear facilities It added that Qatar’s airspace is now safe. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia condemned “in the strongest terms” Iran’s attack against a U.S. military base in Qatar. The kingdom’s Foreign Ministry described the action as a violation of international law and said it affirmed its “full support” for Qatar.

Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites but indicating it was prepared to step back from escalating tensions in the volatile region. U.S. officials reported no casualties. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base attack, but said it successfully intercepted the short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Iran said the attack matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Those comments, made immediately after the attack, suggested Iran wanted to de-escalate with the United States, something President Donald Trump himself said after the strikes early Sunday on Iran. However, Israel’s war on Iran continues, with the Israeli military expanding its campaign Monday to target sites symbolic for the country’s theocracy. Iran announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response" to "America’s aggression.” Iraqis said they were informed by U.S. officials that missiles were launched toward the the Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq, but the missiles never arrived, an Iraqi security official who was not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A U.S. military official said there was no confirmed attack on the base in Iraq. He also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.” Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest such wing in the world. Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.” The retaliation came a day after the U.S. launched a surprise attack Sunday morning on three of Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel expands war to include symbolic targets Earlier in the day, Israel struck the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,” but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Israeli military warned Iranians that it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over “the coming days” as its focus has shifted to symbolic targets as well. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump openly raised the possibility himself after just a day earlier inserting America into the war with its unprecedented stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as “simply raising a question.” However, suggestions of overthrowing the Iranian government drew new anger from Tehran, which insists it will not negotiate at this time. Tehran strikes open new chapter of war In the Tehran strikes, Israel blew open a gate at Evin prison. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage, though the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said there had been a power cut reported outside of Tehran following the Israeli strikes. Iranian state television also aired footage it described as being shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control inside the facility. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed worry about the condition of prisoners there. “Many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison,” it said. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington that its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to “act against U.S. interests and its army.” Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. “The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel's Defense Ministry said. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government’s strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. Nuclear fears mount after US strikes In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.” “I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded. Iran presses on attacking Israel Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its “Operation True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel. Russia is one of Iran’s closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored “how we can get out of today’s situation.” Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an “absolutely unprovoked aggression.”

A suicide bomber in Syria on Sunday detonated himself inside a church filled with people, killing at least nine, Syrian state media reported. The explosion in Dweil’a in the outskirts of Damascus took place as people were praying inside the Mar Elias Church. SANA, citing the Health Ministry said that at least 15 others were wounded. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there were 30 people wounded and killed, but did not give exact numbers. Some local media reported that children were among the casualties. The attack was the first of its kind in Syria in years, and comes as Damascus under its de facto Islamist rule is trying to win the support of minorities. As President Ahmad al-Sharaa struggles to exert authority across the country, there have been concerns about the presence of sleeper cells of extremist groups in the war-torn country. No group immediately claimed responsibility Sunday, but the Syrian Interior Ministry said an extremist from the Islamic State group entered the church, fired at the people there before detonating himself with an explosives vest, echoing some witness testimonies. A witness who identified himself as Rawad told The Associated Press he saw the attacker who was accompanied by two others who fled as he was driving near the church. “He was shooting at the church … he then went inside the church and blew himself up,” he said. Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mostafa condemned the attack, calling it a terrorist attack. “This cowardly act goes against the civic values that brings us together,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will to back down from our commitment to equal citizenship … and we also affirm the state’s pledge to exert all its efforts to combat criminal organizations and to protect society from all attacks threatening its safety.” Security forces and first-responders rushed to the church. Panicked survivors wailed, as one lady fell to her knees and burst into tears. A photo circulated by Syrian state media SANA showed the church's pews covered in debris and blood.  

Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College delivers top-tier education, producing graduates renowned for their virtue, skills, and abilities. Their excellence has garnered widespread praise from employers, contributing to an impressive employment rate exceeding 95%. As part of the “China Up Close: Tianjin Tour,” journalists from various countries recently visited the institution. The visit was co-hosted by China Global Television Network (CGTN) and the Tianjin Municipal People's Government. Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College, with approximately 11,000 students and over 500 staff, is recognised as a key vocational institution in China, its President Li Yunmei told journalists.  

Gulf nations, which host several US military installations, have heightened their security posture after US airstrikes on Iran, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. Bahrain has instructed 70 percent of its government workforce to operate remotely until further notice. “In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry posted on X. US bases ‘not strength but greatest vulnerability’: IRGC Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, warned that the possibility of open warfare between the US and Iran could have devastating consequences for the region. “While the war has so far been contained in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, direct US involvement is a critical threshold that risks dragging the Gulf states – notably Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, which host large US military facilities – into the conflict,” he said. With inputs from Al Jazeera

China has strongly condemned the U.S. attacks on Iran and the bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said. The spokesperson made the remarks on Sunday when asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, reports CGTN. The actions of the U.S. seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East, the spokesperson said. China also called on the parties to the conflict—particularly Israel—to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and engage in dialogue and negotiations. China stands ready to work with the international community to pool efforts, uphold justice, and work toward restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, the spokesperson added.