After Iran escalates attacks on Gulf energy sites, Israel says it will stop striking its gas field

Iran Escalates Attacks on Gulf Energy Facilities as Regional Conflict Widens

Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities throughout the Gulf region on Thursday, significantly escalating a conflict that is sending shockwaves through global energy markets and threatening the world economy.

The strikes, carried out in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Iran’s crucial South Pars gas field, have sent fuel prices soaring and risk pulling Iran’s Arab neighbors directly into the widening conflict. Global fuel supplies, already under pressure due to Iran’s control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz – through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil passes – now face further disruption.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Thursday that Israel would halt further attacks on Iranian gas facilities at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. Since the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran in late February, Iranian leadership has been decimated and its military capabilities severely impaired.

Netanyahu claimed in a televised address that Iran can no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles, though he provided no evidence to support these assertions. Despite these setbacks, Iran – now led by the son of the supreme leader killed in the war’s opening phase – retains significant missile and drone strike capabilities that continue to threaten Gulf states and the global energy supply chain.

The escalating danger to maritime shipping was underscored when a vessel caught fire off the United Arab Emirates coast while another sustained damage near Qatar. Efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz also came under threat when an Iranian drone struck a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, which Saudi Arabia had hoped to utilize as an alternative energy export route.

Energy markets reacted strongly to the attacks. Brent crude oil briefly surged above $119 per barrel, representing a more than 60% increase since the conflict began. European natural gas benchmark prices also spiked sharply, nearly doubling over the past month.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all condemned the Iranian attacks. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit described them as a “dangerous escalation.” The strikes hit multiple strategic energy sites across the region. Saudi Arabia reported that its SAMREF refinery in Yanbu was targeted, disrupting efforts to redirect oil exports away from the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz.

In Qatar, a major global natural gas supplier, officials reported extensive damage to the Ras Laffan LNG facility, where production had already been halted following earlier attacks. The damage could significantly delay Qatar’s ability to restore normal supply operations even after hostilities end. Additional targets included oil refineries in Kuwait and gas operations in Abu Dhabi.

Israel also faced waves of Iranian attacks that forced millions of citizens into shelters. While buildings sustained damage, no significant casualties were reported. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen confirmed that power was temporarily disrupted in northern regions and a refinery suffered minor damage.

The U.S. military continues to expand its operations within Iranian territory. Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that American forces are conducting deeper strikes, with warplanes targeting Iranian vessels in the strait and helicopters engaging Iranian drones. He noted that U.S. forces have deployed 5,000-pound bombs against underground weapons storage facilities.

Iran’s strikes followed Israel’s attack on South Pars, the Iranian portion of the world’s largest natural gas field, which Iran jointly operates with Qatar. The field is critically important to Iran’s domestic energy infrastructure, providing approximately 80% of the country’s electricity generation according to the International Energy Agency. Natural gas from the field also supplies household heating and cooking throughout Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the strike on South Pars, warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.” While Trump indicated Israel would not target South Pars again, he warned on social media that continued Iranian attacks against Qatari energy infrastructure would provoke American retaliation that would “massively blow up the entirety” of the field. However, when questioned about potential ground deployments, Trump stated, “No. I’m not putting troops anywhere.”

The human toll continues to mount as the conflict enters its third week. Iranian authorities report more than 1,300 casualties. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes against Hezbollah have displaced over one million people—roughly 20% of the population—with Lebanese officials reporting more than 1,000 deaths. Israel claims to have killed over 500 Hezbollah militants. Within Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire, with four additional deaths reported in the occupied West Bank. U.S. military casualties have reached 13.