• Qatar emerges as dealmaker, helping broker US contacts with Iranian regime • Questions linger over terms of ceasefire, future of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions DOHA / WASHINGTON: Iran’s ‘ strike ’ on the US military base in Qatar was carefully calculated to provide an exit from hostilities with Washington and set up a truce with Israel, according to analysts and officials with knowledge of the matter. The missile launches were signalled well in advance, minimising the risk of injury and giving every opportunity to shoot down the projectiles — resulting in a fireworks display of booms and flashes above Doha. They followed heavy US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at the weekend, a sudden escalation that raised concerns about how Tehran would respond after more than a week of exchanges with Israel. It would seem that Qatar, located across the Persian Gulf, held the answer in the form of Al Udeid, the Middle East’s biggest US base and headquarters of its regional command. Target...
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