Iran says missiles fired at US air base equal number of US bombs

TEHRAN -- Iran's top security body said on Monday the number of missiles launched toward the US air base in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States in its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) of Iran made the remarks in a statement following the missile attack by the country's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This attack was in retaliation for the US bombing of the three Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on Sunday, according to the SNSC-affiliated Nour News.

The SNSC added that the targeted US air base was located at a considerable distance from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar, stressing that Iran's military action posed no danger to Qatar, "with which Iran has brotherly and friendly relations." It stressed that Iran remained committed to maintaining its "warm and historical" relations with Qatar.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that the US military is still assessing the impact of its strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, which "took months and weeks of positioning" to execute.

The operation, named "Operation Midnight," utilized 14 bunker-buster bombs, over two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and more than 125 military aircraft, said Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Satellite images taken on Sunday show six fresh craters clustered around two entry points at the Fordow nuclear site, most likely where the US bombs fell.