Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar faced direct threats to their energy infrastructure on Wednesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned of imminent strikes in response to an Israeli attack on the South Pars gasfield. Specific facilities were named, evacuation orders were issued, and oil markets surged on fears of widespread energy disruption. The conflict had entered a new and more globally consequential phase.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, is a shared asset between Iran and Qatar and the foundation of Iran’s gas export revenue. Israel’s strike on the field, reportedly carried out with US backing, was the first targeted attack on Iran’s fossil fuel infrastructure since the war began. Both Washington and Tel Aviv had previously avoided such moves to prevent spiraling oil prices and wider economic destabilization.
Iran’s state broadcaster named Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan facilities as imminent targets. All personnel were told to evacuate without delay. Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar said Iran was now in a “full-scale economic war” and condemned the Israeli strike as political suicide.
The global oil benchmark rose to $108.60 a barrel — a near 5% gain — and European gas prices climbed more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already fallen 60% from pre-war levels, decimated by drone strikes and Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian threats came as the third week of war opened with attacks on UAE and Iraqi energy assets, further compressing the region’s already damaged energy capacity.
Qatar’s government spokesperson Majid al-Ansari issued a pointed warning that any strike on energy infrastructure would constitute a threat to global energy security and regional stability. As global leaders scrambled for diplomatic solutions, Iran’s clock was running on its threatened strikes. The coming hours would test whether the conflict’s energy war could be contained — or whether the Gulf was entering its most destructive chapter yet.
