Iran missile attack on Qatar and Saudi energy facilities

ছবিঃ সংগৃহীত

News Desk: Following an Israeli attack on the Iranian section of the world’s largest natural gas reserve, the South Pars Gas Field, Iran has threatened to strike oil and gas facilities across the Gulf region and has carried out large-scale attacks in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to a report by Reuters cited by The Jakarta Post.

QatarEnergy, Qatar’s state-owned oil and gas company, said that Iran’s missile strike caused “extensive damage” at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, a major hub of the energy industry.

Saudi Arabia stated that it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh on Wednesday (March 18). On the same day, an attempted drone attack on a gas facility in the country’s eastern region was also foiled.

The South Pars field is the world’s largest natural gas reserve, jointly shared by Iran and Qatar across the Gulf. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, a close ally of the United States, condemned the attack on Iran’s South Pars facilities as “dangerous and irresponsible,” criticizing Israel.

At the same time, Qatar also condemned Iran, calling its actions a “clear violation” of international law, and expelled two senior Iranian diplomats from Doha.

Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack on South Pars. However, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Donald Trump was aware of and supported the Israeli plan to strike the gas field.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that gas tanks and parts of a refinery were hit. Workers were evacuated, and later state media said the fire had been brought under control.

Iran has listed several key oil and gas facilities in the region as “direct and legitimate targets.” These include the SAMREF Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex in Saudi Arabia; the Al Hosn Gas Field in the United Arab Emirates; and Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company, and Ras Laffan. Iran warned that these areas should be evacuated immediately before any missile strikes.

Previously, the United States and Israel had refrained from targeting Iran’s energy production facilities in the Gulf, which had helped avoid retaliatory strikes on neighboring countries’ oil and gas industries. Under international law, attacks on civilian energy infrastructure are prohibited.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, said he had spoken with the Emir of Qatar and Donald Trump, urging a “moratorium” on attacks targeting civilian infrastructure such as water and energy facilities.

Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply passes. However, consumer countries had hoped the disruption would be short-lived if energy infrastructure remained intact.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, spoke with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday (March 18), stating that safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is a priority for the European Union and that the bloc supports a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

On Wednesday (March 18), Israel killed Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib. A day earlier, influential security chief Ali Larijani was also killed.

In retaliation, Iran fired cluster missiles toward Israel, which are relatively harder to intercept. Shortly after midnight on Thursday (March 19), Israel’s ambulance service reported that an Iranian missile strike killed a foreign national in the Adanim area of central Israel, bringing the death toll in Israel to at least 15.

On Wednesday (March 18), the first fatal attack also occurred in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile strike.