Former national senior men’s assistant football coach Miguel Coley, who is currently residing and coaching in Qatar, says he is eager to evacuate the Asian country once he gets the all-clear, as the conflict between neighbours Israel and Iran, along with the involvement of the United States, continues to escalate in the Middle East.

Coley, regarded by many as an accomplished tactician, has been in the Middle East for the last four years, honing his craft with Umm Salal in the Qatar Stars League.

Coley and his family are now unable to leave the country after the Qatari Government announced on Monday a temporary closure of its airspace in light of “developments in the region”.

The announcement came after Iran said it had launched missiles at a US military base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for American strikes on key nuclear facilities.

A US defence official said no one was hurt in the attack — which US President Donald Trump said Iran had given advanced notice of — and oil prices sank afterwards as traders breathed a sigh of relief at what one analyst called the “somewhat measured” response.

Qatar, which lies 190 kilometres (120 miles) south of Iran, and is home to the largest US military facility in the Middle East, said its “air defences successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base”.

On Monday, Coley said he and his family are prepared to leave Qatar as soon as they are told it is safe to do so.

“The plan is that whenever the airspace is open we will move to wherever we consider safe,” Coley told the Jamaica Observer. “As you know, Qatar is not part of the war, but you just have to keep your ears on the ground and try to get as much information as possible.”

“Iran is close to us, and Israel is close to us, and tonight there were some bombings, but I am not sure from where, so everybody is packed and we are packing some stuff,” Coley said.

The vastly experienced coach added that he has heard explosions and sirens going off close to his home and he is therefore paying close attention to the latest developments in the region.

“I hope that there will be a ceasefire soon because the airspace here in Qatar is closed at the moment so there are no flights leaving or arriving here,” he said.

“You can hear the bombings and we can see the sky, and sometimes you hear the sirens going off in the nights, but I am not privy to much, you just have to watch the news. And then tonight [Monday] we heard some bombings, but like I said, I am not sure from who, but I think it just put in perspective that everybody in this region has to be on alert,” Coley pointed out.

He said that while the situation is frightening, he must remain calm, especially for his children, who are with him in Qatar.

“I am not scared, not nervous… I cannot be nervous now because I have kids, so I have to be strong for them,” he told the Observer.

Late Monday afternoon Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a staggered ceasefire that would bring about an “official end” to a conflict that had threatened to escalate into a full-blown war involving the United States.

“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump wrote Monday on his
Truth Social platform, although there was no official confirmation from either of the Middle Eastern adversaries.

Over a week of tit-for-tat missile launches have killed hundreds in Iran and two dozen in Israel, according to officials on both sides.

The United States joined the conflict over the weekend with unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, spurring Monday’s retaliatory missile attack on the American base in Qatar, which Trump said had been successfully defeated.

Trump said the ceasefire would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations. Israel would follow suit 12 hours later, the president said.

“Upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world,” he said, adding that both sides had agreed to remain “peaceful and respectful” during each phase of the process.

Several loud explosions were heard in Tehran overnight, AFP correspondents said, after the Israeli army warned residents in a central area of the Iranian capital to evacuate.

Any cessation in hostilities would come as a huge relief to world leaders frantic about an escalation in violence igniting into a wider conflagration.

The adversaries had been swapping missile fire since Israel carried out surprise “pre-emptive” strikes against Iran on June 13, targeting nuclear and military sites, and prompting Trump to warn of a possible “massive” regional conflict.

As international concern mounted that Israel’s campaign and the US strikes could ignite into a wider conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that “the spiral of chaos must end”, while China warned of the potential economic fallout.

Iran said its assault in Qatar wasn’t targeting the Middle Eastern neighbour, but the Government in Doha accused Tehran of “blatant aggression” and claimed its right to a “proportional” response.

Oil prices sank more than six per cent on Monday after the attack.

Around 1815 GMT, futures for West Texas Intermediate fell 6.5 per cent to US$69.96 a barrel, while Brent oil futures dropped 6.4 per cent to US$72.07 a barrel, its lowest level in 10 days.

John Kilduff of Again Capital described the Iranian action as “somewhat measured”.

“This is a face-saving measure by the Iranians and hopefully the diplomatic off-ramp will be taken,” Kilduff said.

— Additional reporting AFP

This frame grab take from AFPTV footage shows the remnants of an Iranian missile intercepted over Qatar, as it lies on a pavement near a fence on June 23, 2025. Qatar said on June 23, the security situation was “stable” following an Iranian missile attack that targeted a US base on its territory in retaliation for American attacks on Iran nuclear sites. (Photo: AFP)