Targeting of Energy Facilities Turned Iran War into Worst‑Case Scenario for Gulf States - CleanTechnica

The article discusses a significant escalation in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on March 18, 2026, marked by attacks on critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf region. An Israeli drone strike damaged key gas treatment plants at Iran’s Asaluyeh complex, part of the South Pars offshore gas field shared with Qatar. In retaliation, Iran targeted vital energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, including major liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in Qatar’s Ras Laffan and oil refineries in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. These attacks represent a dangerous shift in the conflict, with energy infrastructure becoming a primary battlefield, threatening the export revenues that have underpinned Gulf states’ regional power and global influence for decades. The South Pars/North Field gas reserve, the world’s largest nonassociated gas field, is central to the economies of Iran and Qatar, holding the second- and third-largest proven gas reserves globally. Unlike previous conflicts