Murphy says Pentagon blocked Qatar base visit

US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on 6 October that the Pentagon denied him access to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during a Middle East visit, as he sought information about the Iran war and damage from Iranian attacks. Murphy, who spoke to journalists in Riyadh after visiting Qatar, said the refusal was part of an effort to keep Congress and the US public from understanding the conflict’s effects.²³

Access dispute

Murphy said he gave notice weeks before his trip and filed a written request to visit Al Udeid, a US base in Qatar that has been attacked by Iran during the war. He also said the Pentagon declined to arrange a regional briefing on the conflict and prevented contact with military leadership. Al Udeid is reported to be the region’s biggest US military installation and to host US Central Command headquarters.¹²³

A senior Pentagon official said Murphy’s office had been told before the visit that he would not receive department support for access. The Pentagon said the decision followed regional travel restrictions issued by Secretary Pete Hegseth on 3 March, and the official said the guidance was applied consistently. The department did not immediately respond to a separate request for comment, according to The Straits Times.¹²

Murphy’s allegations

Murphy alleged that the access refusal formed part of a broader campaign to conceal the costs and consequences of the war from lawmakers and the public. “This trip confirmed for me that there is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this war from Congress and the American people,” he said. He called on Republican colleagues to demand that the alleged campaign stop.²³

The senator said he had seen extensive destruction in Riyadh. Two drones struck the US embassy compound in Saudi Arabia in March, causing a fire and black smoke; no injuries were reported. Murphy said Iranian drones damaged several floors and that a daytime attack would have caused many American deaths, but those assessments were reported only as his account.¹

Regional visits and energy disruption

Murphy said Secretary of State Marco Rubio helped facilitate the trip, including meetings with diplomats. During the visit, Murphy met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Gulf officials, according to reports.²

At Ras Laffan, Qatar’s gas complex, Murphy said Iranian drone strikes had halted LNG production. He said he observed one tanker in port, compared with a usual six, and about one departing daily rather than 10. Murphy further said Qatar had lost 17% of its exports and that restoration work might require a minimum of three years; the dossier does not independently verify those estimates.¹

Congressional response

Murphy said he would seek provisions in next year’s appropriations and defence authorisation legislation requiring Pentagon access for members of Congress at overseas bases. He also said Congress should withhold defence funding unless it contains a measure to end the conflict should the war continue, and said Democrats could pursue investigations if they win one or both chambers.¹