Threatened Iranian strikes against Gulf refineries followed a landmark attack on the South Pars gasfield on Wednesday, as the Revolutionary Guards announced imminent military action against energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Specific targets were named and evacuation orders issued. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as the landmark escalation triggered the most serious energy security threat the Gulf had seen in the conflict.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve shared between Iran and Qatar, had been deliberately kept off the battlefield until Wednesday. The Israeli attack on the field — reportedly with US backing — was a landmark escalation in its direct targeting of Iranian fossil fuel production. Washington and Tel Aviv had previously held back from this move, but the decision to proceed triggered an immediate and highly specific retaliatory threat from Tehran.
Named targets included Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan facilities. Workers and residents were ordered to evacuate without delay. The governor of Asaluyeh condemned the US-Israeli attack as “political suicide” and declared the conflict had entered a full-scale economic warfare phase.
Brent crude climbed to $108.60 a barrel, a nearly 5% gain on the day. European gas benchmarks surged more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already fallen 60% from pre-war volumes due to sustained infrastructure attacks and Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade. Iran had continued to export its own crude unimpeded through the strait while blocking Gulf neighbors’ shipments — a strategic asymmetry that had given it significant economic leverage throughout the conflict.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that attacking energy infrastructure was a direct threat to global energy security and regional welfare. The landmark nature of the South Pars attack had set off a chain of events with potentially devastating consequences for global energy markets. As Iran’s threats were broadcast publicly with specific targets and a tight timeframe, the world faced the prospect of a Gulf energy infrastructure war without modern precedent.