September 29, 2025

“Assuring the Security of the State of Qatar,” executive order issued by President Donald Trump

Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/assuring-the-security-of-the-state-of-qatar

President Donald Trump signed an executive order committing the United States to defend Qatar against external armed attack. Promising to defend Qatar with “all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military,” the order aims to deter attacks on Qatar and formalize a de facto U.S. security umbrella. The deterrence could be targeting Iran or any other country. Analysts view the order as a direct response to Israel’s failed airstrike three weeks earlier to kill Hamas leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital. The largest U.S. military base in the Middle East is in Qatar, and Iran attacked that base after the U.S. assisted Israel in denigrating Iran’s nuclear program and missile production capabilities in June 2025.

In a broader context, the order could be tied to an effort by the Trump administration to expand the Abraham Accords to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Such a widening of the agreement would be in Israel’s national strategic interest, and Jerusalem would be expected to concur in the broadening.

This is an unprecedented presidential commitment to any Arab country and resembles NATO’s Article 5, in which treaty members pledge to defend one another in case of attack; however, this promise is unilateral, lacking the mutual vow of all treaty partners under the NATO framework. Qatar has no obligation under Trump’s executive order. Israel does not have an equivalent defense guarantee by treaty or executive order, but the longstanding U.S. bilateral military support for Israel is deeply institutionalized across dozens of U.S. departments, programs and military understandings.

The strength of the Qatari commitment is that it is presidential and relies on presidential discretion. When Trump visited Qatar in May 2025, he noted his intent “to protect this country. It’s a very special place with a special royal family, … and they’re going to be protected by the United States of America.”

The executive order was not ratified by the U.S. Senate, as would be required for a treaty, so this commitment could be reversed by a future president. In a presidential context, President Barack Obama entered into an agreement with European countries to contain Iran’s nuclear program, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was never submitted for ratification and which Trump himself unilaterally revoked in 2018. Both presidents sought to advance strategic leverage in the Gulf region without congressional entanglement. It is likely that neither the JCPOA nor this executive order would have received the two-thirds majority required for Senate ratification of a treaty. The JCPOA did receive endorsement from a U.N. resolution; the Qatar order has no such international backing.

— Ken Stein, October 8, 2025

Assuring the Security of the State of Qatar

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in recognition of the enduring alliance between the United States and the State of Qatar, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Policy. Over the years, the United States and the State of Qatar have been bound together by close cooperation, shared interests, and the close relationship between our armed forces. The State of Qatar has hosted United States forces, enabled critical security operations, and stood as a steadfast ally in pursuit of peace, stability, and prosperity, both in the Middle East and abroad, including as a mediator that has assisted the United States’ attempts to resolve significant regional and global conflicts. In recognition of this history, and in light of the continuing threats to the State of Qatar posed by foreign aggression, it is the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar against external attack.

Sec. 2. Commitment. (a) 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.

(b) In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take 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.

(c) The Secretary of War, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, shall maintain joint contingency planning with the State of Qatar to ensure a rapid and coordinated response to any foreign aggression against the State of Qatar.

(d) The Secretary of State shall reaffirm this assurance to the State of Qatar and coordinate with allies and partners to ensure complementary measures of support.

(e) The Secretary of State shall continue to partner with the State of Qatar as and when appropriate for conflict resolution and mediation in recognition of the State of Qatar’s extensive diplomatic and mediation experience.

Sec. 3. Implementation. All executive departments and agencies shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to implement this order.

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of State.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE, September 29, 2025