In public, Qatar was insisting on the right to defend itself after Iran attacked a U.S. military site in the emirate. Behind the scenes, it was already mediating a truce between Israel and Iran.

Iran’s missile attack on America’s Al Udeid airbase in Qatar appeared, at first sight, to be a major escalation, threatening to drag in the Gulf Arab states into a wider, region wide conflict. It could still blow up from here and Qatar is furious, calling it a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.

Qatar brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after a U.S. base was hit, but the truce is already under strain amid mutual accusations of violations. A tentative ceasefire