US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order pledging to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a direct threat to American security, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s military commitment to the Gulf nation.
The order, published Wednesday, followed last month’s Israeli airstrike on Doha that sought to eliminate Hamas leaders. The attack, carried out with little advance notice to the Trump administration, unsettled Washington given Qatar’s role as a key regional ally and host of the largest US military base in the Middle East.
Dated Monday, the same day Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, the order coincided with the unveiling of a US proposal to end the war in Gaza. Qatar has served as a central mediator between the United States, Israel and Hamas in the ongoing conflict.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order declared. It further authorised “all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
The directive requires US defense and intelligence officials to coordinate contingency planning with Qatar to ensure rapid responses to potential threats.
The order places Qatar under a level of security protection that surpasses that granted to other US partners in the Gulf. While Saudi Arabia has sought similar guarantees in its own dealings with Washington, such a pact has not materialised. Riyadh instead signed a mutual defence agreement with Pakistan last month, underscoring shifting alliances in the region.
Trump’s pledge goes further than the 2022 designation by his predecessor, Joe Biden, which named Qatar a “major non-NATO ally.” That status allowed deeper military cooperation but fell short of guaranteeing US defence if the country were attacked.
Notably, the US did not intervene when Iran launched strikes on Qatar in June in response to American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The strengthened defence ties come amid scrutiny of Trump’s close relationship with Doha. In May, the administration formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar, which is being converted into a future Air Force One. Trump brushed aside legal and ethical concerns over the gift.
Following the Israeli strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Doha, signalling that a broader defence cooperation agreement was being finalised.
Analysts say the move reflects both Qatar’s growing importance in regional diplomacy and Trump’s willingness to leverage military commitments to solidify US influence in the Middle East. However, the executive order remains politically vulnerable: unlike treaties such as NATO, it does not require Senate approval and could be overturned by a future president.
