The US Secretary of Defense welcomed the Qatari Minister of Defense at the Pentagon
On Friday, Pete Hagseth, the US Secretary of Defense, officially welcomed Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari Minister of Defense, with an honor guard ceremony at the Pentagon.
During this meeting, the two sides discussed military and security cooperation between Washington and Doha.
In this meeting, the US Secretary of Defense announced the construction of a new Qatari Air Force base in the state of Idaho, considering this move part of a new defense agreement that the Trump administration has agreed upon with Qatar.
He stated, ‘Today we announce the acceptance letter for the construction of the Qatari Emiri Air Force facilities at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.’
In late September, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order committing the United States to defend Qatar in the event of any attack. Part of this order states that the United States will consider any armed attack on the sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the Qatari government as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.
Hagseth added that the new agreement includes more military cooperation between the two countries and, referring to the Al Udeid base in Qatar, said, ‘We appreciate your support for our forces at Al Udeid. The continuous relations and communications between us have been strengthened since the beginning of this administration, and we also appreciate Qatar’s role in the release of Americans detained in Afghanistan.’
Qatar, which simultaneously hosts one of the largest US military bases in the region and is a close ally of Washington, has always been a controversial topic in US politics due to its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and hosting Hamas leaders.