Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar were put on high alert Wednesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to strike energy installations across all three countries in retaliation for Israeli missile attacks on Iran’s South Pars gasfield. The warning named specific refineries and petrochemical complexes and urged immediate evacuation. It marked an alarming broadening of a conflict that had already caused severe disruption to global energy flows.
The South Pars field, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, has long been central to Iran’s economic survival. Israel’s decision to target it — reportedly with US backing — broke an implicit agreement that energy infrastructure would remain off-limits. Analysts said the strike fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict, shifting it from a military confrontation to an energy and economic war.
Targeted facilities included Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery, the Jubail petrochemical complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan installations. Iran’s state media broadcast the list alongside a time-sensitive evacuation order. Eskandar Pasalar, governor of Asaluyeh, where South Pars is located, called the attack “political suicide” and said the pendulum of war had swung decisively toward economic warfare.
Energy markets reacted with alarm. Brent crude moved toward $110 a barrel — levels last seen in mid-2022 — while European gas prices surged more than 7.5%. Regional oil exports, already decimated by 60% from pre-war volumes, faced further potential decline if Iranian strikes were carried out. Iran had effectively been blocking Gulf states’ oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz while continuing its own shipments unimpeded.
Qatar’s government spokesperson called on all parties to avoid targeting energy infrastructure, describing such actions as a threat to global energy security and regional environmental stability. With specific targets named and a window of “coming hours” cited for strikes, the world was watching one of the most consequential energy-sector standoffs since the Gulf Wars of the 1980s and 1990s. The stakes for global energy supply had rarely been higher.