W.J. Hennigan
Opinion Writer
So far, Iran’s ballistic missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday appears to have been more of a face-saving measure for Tehran than an opening salvo for full-blown war with America.
With no reports of American casualties or severe damage, the attack presents President Trump with a clear offramp from tit-for-tat tensions. He should take it. There’s now an opportunity for both sides to restart diplomatic efforts, rather than escalate hostilities.
It’s not surprising that Iran’s leaders felt they had to do something in retaliation for the U.S. bombing mission against three of their nuclear sites over the weekend. What they evidently came up with was an underwhelming missile strike on one of the most fortified U.S. military bases in the world. Tehran warned the Qataris that the strikes were coming, ensuring that its short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles would be intercepted by American air defense systems — which they were.
