The fragility of Gulf energy security was laid bare on Wednesday when Iran threatened to strike refineries and gas facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar after Israel attacked the South Pars gasfield. The Revolutionary Guards issued specific target names and evacuation orders. Oil prices climbed toward $110 a barrel as the threat of a sweeping energy infrastructure war exposed the vulnerabilities of a region that powers much of the global economy.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve shared between Iran and Qatar, had been deliberately kept off the battlefield until Wednesday. Israel’s decision to strike it — reportedly with US backing — broke a critical restraint and triggered Iran’s most detailed and threatening military statement of the war. The attack was understood to be a deliberate economic weapon aimed at Iran’s energy revenue base.
Iran’s state media identified specific targets: Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan facilities. All workers and residents were ordered to evacuate without delay. The Asaluyeh governor said the attack had “crossed a line” that had launched a total economic war and condemned the US-Israeli escalation as a historic miscalculation.
Oil prices rose nearly 5% to $108.60 a barrel, while European gas benchmarks jumped more than 7.5%. The broader energy picture was already deeply troubled: Gulf oil exports had fallen 60% from pre-war levels, Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade remained in effect, and the third week of war had opened with attacks on multiple UAE and Iraqi energy assets. Iran’s new threats added another dangerous layer to an already severe global supply disruption.
Qatar’s government spokesperson Majid al-Ansari warned that targeting energy infrastructure constituted a threat to global energy security and regional populations. The international energy community faced a scenario with few historical parallels: a full-scale energy war in the world’s most energy-rich region, with specific targets named, evacuations ordered, and oil prices on the verge of record highs. The hours ahead would determine how much deeper the crisis would run.