On Thursday, Iran ramped up its offensive against Gulf Arab states by targeting their energy infrastructure. Strikes on Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries marked a significant retaliation against an Israeli assault on Iran’s primary natural gas field. This escalation in the Middle East conflict has led to a surge in global fuel prices.
The perilous situation was highlighted by incidents at sea, where a vessel was set ablaze near the United Arab Emirates, and another suffered damage off the coast of Qatar. These events illustrate the constant threat posed by Iran’s control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar, a vital hub for global natural gas supplies, reported that firefighters managed to extinguish a fire at a significant LNG site following Iranian missile strikes. Although production had already been paused due to previous attacks, the recent missile barrage resulted in “significant fires and additional extensive damage.”
The destruction at this facility may impede Qatar’s ability to resume supply deliveries to the market promptly, even after the hostilities with Iran conclude.
In Kuwait, a drone strike ignited a fire at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, though no casualties were reported, according to the state-run KUNA news agency. As one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, it boasts a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels daily. Shortly thereafter, another drone attack set the nearby Mina Abdullah refinery on fire, as confirmed by local authorities.
Officials in Abu Dhabi announced the necessary shutdown of operations at the Habshan gas facility and Bab field, describing the Iranian attacks on these sites as a “serious escalation” overnight.
Missile alert sirens sounded in multiple other areas around the Gulf, and Israel warned of incoming Iranian fire.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all denounced the Iranian attacks, with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat saying assaults on the kingdom meant “what little trust there was before has completely been shattered.”
In morning trading, Brent crude oil, the international standard, was above $110 a barrel, up more than 50% since Israel and the United States started the war Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran.
The wave of Iranian attacks came after Israel hit South Pars, the world’s largest gas field located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly by Iran and Qatar.
With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the country’s electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.
Hitting the gas field is a “clear expansion of the conflict,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note.
“Israel’s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure …” the think tank said. “It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.”
Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.”
In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again, but warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the US would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.
“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,” Trump said on social media.
