Revolutionary Guards Warn of Imminent Attacks on Saudi, UAE and Qatari Infrastructure as Oil Prices Surge.
The war has moved to the energy heartland. Now the Gulf’s refineries and gasfields are in the crosshairs.
Iran has threatened to strike major energy facilities across the Gulf after Israeli missiles reportedly hit the country’s largest gasfield, marking a sharp escalation in the widening regional conflict.
The targeted site, the South Pars gas field, contains the world’s largest known natural gas reserves and forms the backbone of Iran’s gas production. It is jointly shared with Qatar, making it one of the most strategically sensitive energy assets in the Middle East.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar would become “direct and legitimate targets” in the coming hours.
State media identified Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail petrochemical complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan industrial hubs as potential targets. Authorities urged workers and residents near those sites to evacuate immediately.
Until now, U.S. and Israeli operations had largely avoided direct strikes on Iran’s oil and gas sector, a restraint seen as an effort to prevent a full-scale economic shock. The attack on South Pars appears to signal a shift.
Global markets reacted swiftly. Oil prices climbed toward $110 a barrel on Wednesday amid fears that the conflict could engulf the Gulf’s energy infrastructure, which underpins a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
The continuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil flows — has already strained supply chains.
Eskandar Pasalar, governor of Iran’s southern Asaluyeh region, described the attack as a turning point. The “pendulum of war has swung” into what he called a “full-scale economic war.”
Qatar condemned threats to energy infrastructure. Government spokesperson Majid al-Ansari warned that targeting such facilities would endanger not only regional populations but global energy security.
Israeli media reported that the strike on South Pars was carried out with U.S. consent, though neither government immediately provided detailed confirmation.
If Iran follows through on its threats, the conflict could move decisively from military confrontation to economic warfare, placing the Gulf’s vast energy network — and the global economy — at direct risk.
