Iran crossed into energy warfare on Wednesday after Israeli forces struck the South Pars gasfield for the first time, prompting the Revolutionary Guards to threaten sweeping strikes against energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Specific facilities were named and evacuation orders issued. The announcement pushed oil prices sharply higher and set off alarm bells in capitals and energy markets around the world.
South Pars holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves and is shared between Iran and Qatar. Until Wednesday, it had been left untouched by the conflict, part of a tacit agreement to keep energy infrastructure off the battlefield. Israel’s decision to strike it — reportedly with US approval — shattered that arrangement and set in motion the most serious retaliatory threat of the entire war.
Threatened facilities listed by Iran’s state media included the Samref refinery and Jubail complex in Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan installations. Evacuation orders were broadcast publicly. Governor Eskandar Pasalar of Asaluyeh said the conflict had entered an irreversible economic phase and called the US-Israeli strike a profound strategic error.
Brent crude rose nearly 5% to $108.60 a barrel, approaching $110. European gas prices jumped more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already declined 60% from pre-war levels due to infrastructure damage and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had continued to export its own crude through the strait unimpeded. The prospect of additional Iranian strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure added fresh pressure to an already severely strained global energy supply.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that targeting energy infrastructure posed a serious threat to global energy security, the environment, and the region’s populations. With evacuation orders in place and specific targets named, Iran’s threat carried a weight that went beyond typical wartime posturing. The coming hours were expected to be decisive — not just for the conflict, but for global energy markets and the world economy.
