Iran-US War of Words Intensifies as Energy Prices Jump After Qatar Gas Attack

Oil and gas prices increased Thursday after Iran struck the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar and threatened to destroy the region’s energy infrastructure, with Donald Trump warning of a retaliatory US response if such strikes persisted.

International benchmark Brent climbed 10% before dropping back, while European gas increased by 35% after Iran bombed Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan LNG complex in response for an Israeli strike on its South Pars gas field.

Trump, whose country launched the conflict alongside Israel on February 28 with an attack on Iran, claimed Washington was unaware of the strike on South Pars.

However, he warned that if Iran continued to attack Qatar, the US would “blow up” the Iranian gas field.

Iran’s military reacted with defiance on Thursday, calling the strike on South Pars a “major mistake” as it supplies almost 70% of the country’s natural gas.If it is repeated, following strikes on your energy infrastructure and that of your friends will continue until they are completely destroyed, and our response will be considerably more severe,” operations command Khatam Al-Anbiya warned in a statement cited by Fars news agency.

– ‘Lasting influence’

Qatar, along with the United States, Australia, and Russia, is a major producer of liquefied natural gas, and its Ras Laffan facility serves as the world’s largest LNG hub.

Iran has regularly targeted it since the war began, and state-run QatarEnergy reported on Thursday that two waves of Iranian attacks had caused “sizeable fires and extensive further damage” to numerous LNG facilities.

Energy prices had already skyrocketed after tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which regularly transports a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG, was halted by the possibility of Iranian assault.

However, analysts believe the targeting of energy producing facilities, rather than only storage depots and transportation, is on a different scale.

French President Emmanuel Macron slammed Thursday’s “reckless escalation,” saying that if Middle Eastern energy production capacity are damaged, “this war will have a much more long-term impact.”

Also reads : US Targets Iran’s Coastal Missile Bases Near Hormuz with High-Impact Bunker Buster Strikes

He made an appeal for “direct talks between the Americans and Iranians on this matter” .

According to Theresa Fallon, head of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies, the economic impact of the gas hub assaults “will most likely be felt for years”.

Gulf countries have fiercely condemned the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, which is part of the South Pars/North Dome megafield, the world’s largest known gas reservoir, which is shared with Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates claimed that attacking energy infrastructure is a “direct threat to global energy security” in a rare criticism of the United States and Israel.

They also criticised Iran’s counterattack in a conflict that has spread throughout the Middle East.

Following Iran’s repeated missile and drone attacks, Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it reserved the “right to take military actions” if needed.

The Samref refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu’s industrial zone was struck by a drone, according to the military ministry, which also stated that damage assessment was in progress.

Meanwhile, Qatar issued an order for Iran’s security and military attachés, along with their employees, to depart the nation.

Drones attacked two oil refineries in Kuwait on Thursday, according to reports of strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.

“War of attrition”

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, has before threatened to take revenge on Israel for attacking its gas installations.A statement on Mojtaba Khamenei’s official Telegram channel late on Wednesday stated, “Every drop of blood spilt has a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it.”

Since he was chosen to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by the US and Israel at the beginning of the conflict, he has not been seen in public.

As part of a long-standing plan to eliminate the leaders of their adversaries, Israel also assassinated intelligence chief Esmail Khatib and national security chief Ali Larijani this week.

However, Tehran continues to launch attacks throughout the Middle East.

Congress was informed that the Iranian government was “intact but largely degraded” by US intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard.Danny Citrinowicz, a senior fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, stated on X that “the conflict is drifting into a war of attrition — with no clear signs of regime collapse in Iran.”

Thousands died in Iran as a result of US-Israeli strikes

More than 3,000 people have reportedly died in Iran as a result of US-Israeli strikes, according to a US-based rights organization, though this number could not be independently confirmed.

There was little indication of a war-torn nation in the Iranian capital on Thursday.

On the eve of Nowruz, the Persian New Year that is usually celebrated with festivities, traffic congestion and street merchants haggling over fruit and garment prices filled the city center as usual.

But the level of security was significantly higher than usual, with more armoured vehicles and heavily armed security personnel visible on some thoroughfares.

Trump claimed late on Wednesday that Israel had “violently lashed out” in “anger” by hitting the Iranian gas station in a social media post.

According to Citrinowicz, the attacks highlighted differences between Washington and Israel regarding the course of the war.

Furthermore, they “underscored just how unstructured this campaign has become — lacking strategic clarity, long-term planning, and a defined end state” .