Tehran, Iran. Iran’s Pars gas field was hit on Wednesday in what was reported as the first strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure in the Gulf during the U.S.-Israeli war, prompting Tehran to warn neighbouring states to evacuate energy installations.
Iran said gas tanks and parts of a refinery were struck, as Israeli media reports described the attack as carried out by Israel with U.S. consent, a claim not confirmed by the Israeli military.
Damage reported at Pars field
Pars is the Iranian sector of the world’s largest natural gas deposit, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts of a refinery had been hit, workers had been evacuated to a safe location and emergency crews were trying to put out a fire.
Conflicting accounts on responsibility
The attack was widely reported in Israeli media to have been carried out by Israel with the consent of the United States. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Qatar, a close U.S. ally which hosts the largest U.S. airbase in the region, called it an Israeli attack without mentioning any U.S. role. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson described it as a “dangerous and irresponsible” escalation that put global energy security at risk.
Iran issues warnings to Gulf states
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar to evacuate several energy facilities.
Escalation after earlier restraint
The U.S. and Israel had previously held back from targeting Iran’s energy production facilities in the Gulf, a move that could invite retaliation against other producers and complicate efforts for global markets to recover from what was described as the biggest ever interruption to energy supplies.
Nearly three weeks into the war, there was no sign of de-escalation.
Israel reports strikes and targets
Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister in the second strike on a top leadership figure in two days, and said it had authorised the military to target any senior Iranian official it can locate.
Israel also hit central Beirut, destroying apartment buildings in some of the most intense airstrikes on the Lebanese capital for decades, on Israel’s other front in the war it launched with the U.S. against Iran.
“No one in Iran has immunity and everyone is in the crosshairs,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said, announcing that Israel had killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib a day after killing security chief Ali Larijani.
What impact could strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure have on regional security and global energy markets?
