Iranian strikes cause extensive damage to Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub, sparking a global energy price surge and a new warning from US President Donald Trump
DOHA: Qatar reported “extensive” damage to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas facility following Iranian strikes.
The attacks on the Ras Laffan hub have sparked fears for global energy supplies and drawn a fresh warning from US President Donald Trump.
Tehran carried out the strikes in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field.
Oil prices soared 5% and European gas jumped 35% on fresh supply concerns.
Trump warned Iran to stop attacks on Qatar in a social media post.
He threatened to “massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field” if attacks continued.
The US president said Washington “knew nothing” about the Israeli strike on South Pars.
He added that “no more attacks will be made by Israel” on the field unless Iran continues to target Qatar.
State-run QatarEnergy said two waves of Iranian strikes caused “sizeable fires and extensive further damage”.
Qatar is a top global LNG producer alongside the US, Australia and Russia.
Analysts said targeting production facilities marks a significant escalation from attacking storage or transport.
“The economic effect will likely be felt for years,” wrote Theresa Fallon of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies.
The US and Israel began the war on February 28 by attacking Iran and killing its supreme leader.
Iran retaliated with strikes against Israel and US allies across the Gulf and Iraq.
Gulf nations had strongly criticised the Israeli attack on the South Pars field.
Qatar called that attack “dangerous and irresponsible”.
The United Arab Emirates offered a rare rebuke, calling it a “dangerous escalation”.
Qatar has now ordered Iran’s military and security attaches to leave the country.
Kuwait reported drone attacks on two oil refineries on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia said it reserved the “right to take military actions” after intercepting drones.
Israel this week claimed the lives of several other senior Iranian officials.
China condemned the death of national security chief Ali Larijani.
New Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed retaliation for the killings.
“Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price,” read a message on his official channel.
A US-based rights group reports over 3,000 killed in Iran by US-Israeli strikes.
An Iranian missile barrage killed a Thai worker in central Israel.
Missile debris also killed three Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank.
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told Congress the Iranian government remains “intact but largely degraded”.
The death toll rose in Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah intensified.
Israeli strikes hit central Beirut multiple times on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people.
Residents of affected areas fled southern Lebanon for the ancient city of Sidon.