Gulf capitals were rattled on Wednesday after Iran’s energy war threat followed Israeli bombing of the South Pars gasfield. The Revolutionary Guards named specific facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar as targets for imminent strikes and ordered immediate evacuation. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as Gulf governments scrambled to assess the situation and prepare contingency responses.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, is shared between Iran and Qatar and central to Iran’s gas export economy. The Israeli bombing — reportedly conducted with US consent — was the first direct attack on Iran’s fossil fuel sector in the conflict. Both countries had previously avoided this move, but the decision to proceed was immediately followed by Iran’s most specific and time-bound military threat of the war.
Iran’s state broadcaster identified 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. Workers and residents were told to leave without delay. Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar described the US-Israeli escalation as “political suicide” and said Iran was now engaged in a full-scale economic war that it had not sought but would not back away from.
Oil prices climbed to $108.60 per barrel, while European gas benchmarks surged more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already fallen 60% from pre-war levels, the product of sustained infrastructure attacks and Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade. Iran had continued to ship its own crude through the strait unimpeded while preventing Gulf neighbors from exporting their oil. The threat of Iranian strikes on Gulf energy facilities raised fears of a further dramatic deterioration in global energy supply.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that attacking energy infrastructure threatened global energy security and the welfare of millions across the region. From Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to Doha, governments activated emergency protocols and assessed their energy infrastructure’s vulnerability. The energy war had reached Gulf capitals with a directness that left no room for denial — and the next few hours would determine just how far the threat would be carried.