crisis management

In the early hours of June 23, 2025, a sudden volley of Iranian missiles streaked toward the United States’ largest military installation in the Middle East, Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. The carefully choreographed escalation—coming just days after U.S. “Operation Midnight Hammer” against three Iranian nuclear sites—thrust U.S. forces and their Gulf hosts into the heart of a rapidly intensifying regional conflict. This article reconstructs the events as they transpired, drawing on official statements, eyewitness accounts, flight-tracking data, and social-media posts to illuminate how the strike unfolded minute by minute and what it means for the broader Middle East crisis.

Two days after US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, explosions hit Doha, Qatar. Iran confirmed missile launches at US bases in Qatar and Iraq. Qatar claimed its sovereignty was breached but stated all missiles were intercepted. No casualties occurred, yet the attack led to airspace closures in the Gulf, disrupted international flights, and heightened fears of broader regional conflict.

President Trump declared he would decide on U.S. strikes on Iran "within the next two weeks," creating uncertainty. This timeframe allows for immediate action or extended diplomatic efforts, leaving allies, adversaries, and markets in suspense.

Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned both civilians and soldiers that the conflict with Iran is ongoing. In a video address, he stressed the need for readiness for a long campaign, eight days after Israel began striking Iranian targets. Despite noting major successes, Zamir highlighted that challenging times are ahead as Israel aims to stop Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons plans.

In the aftermath of Israel’s unprecedented air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, President Donald Trump has signaled to defense officials that the United States should only consider joining strikes on Iran if the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) “bunker buster” bomb can be guaranteed to neutralize the deeply buried uranium enrichment facility at Fordow. According to multiple defense sources familiar with White House deliberations, Trump has not been fully convinced of the GBU-57’s ability to eliminate Fordow’s critical infrastructure and has delayed authorizing U.S. involvement while assessing whether the mere threat of American intervention might bring Tehran back to the negotiating table.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Russian forces unleashed a massive combined drone-and-missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, marking one of the deadliest strikes on the city since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at least ten civilians were killed and dozens more wounded as residential buildings, critical infrastructure and public facilities were pulverised by an onslaught of 440 Shahed drones and 32 cruise missiles. Smoke still hung over the skyline at dawn as rescue teams swept through rubble-strewn streets in search of survivors.

For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly vowed to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions by any means necessary. Those long-held threats culminated this week in “Operation Rising Lion,” a series of coordinated airstrikes against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. While Netanyahu’s carefully cultivated reputation as “Mr. Security” may have compelled him to pull the trigger, the strikes carry profound strategic, diplomatic, and domestic risks. As rescuers sift through the rubble in Tehran and world leaders scramble for a response, the true costs of confronting Iran head-on are only beginning to surface.

On Sunday afternoon, a man armed with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails opened fire on a group of peaceful protesters at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall in Boulder, Colorado. Eight people—ranging in age from their early fifties to late eighties—sustained burn injuries. The FBI has labelled the attack a “terror attack,” though local authorities are investigating motive and caution against premature conclusions.