Qatar summons Iranian ambassador after missile attack on US base

Qatar summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday after Iran launched a missile attack on a major US base on its soil.

In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Ali Abadi was summoned to convey Doha's strong condemnation of Iran's violation of its sovereignty and airspace.

Qatar also sent a letter to the UN Security Council stressing that it "reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with the Charter and international law."

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, in an escalation in tensions following the US targeting of three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, for his part, said that the attack came "in exercise of our self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter," in response to the US bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran.

"This act of self-defense had nothing to do with our friendly neighbor Qatar, as we enjoy excellent and deeply rooted relationships," Baghaei said.

The spokesman stressed full commitment to "good neighborhood policy with respect to the State of Qatar and other neighboring countries."

US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday after 12 days of aerial combat between the two arch-foes.