US senator says he was denied access to damaged military base in Qatar

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy alleges that the US Department of War obstructed his access to the damaged al-Udeid air base in Qatar following an Iranian attack in retaliation for the US-Israeli war on Iran. The base, which houses US Central Command (Centcom), was struck on 28 February. Murphy, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed his frustration over the supposed effort to hide the war's implications from Congress and the American people.

During his trip, Murphy met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and other senior Gulf officials. He also visited the US embassy in Riyadh, which was hit by Iranian strikes, causing "significant damage." However, Murphy claims that the Pentagon barred him from visiting al-Udeid, the subject of his inquiry.

This incident comes amidst heightened scrutiny of the US military presence in the Gulf, following a report from the Department of War's inspector general in September. The report revealed that "hundreds of buildings and structures" at US bases across multiple countries in the region were damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes. Former CIA director David Petraeus and former Centcom commander General Frank McKenzie have also raised concerns about the vulnerability of US bases in the region, suggesting a potential relocation to better-protected areas.