DUBAI: Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.
The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring and risked drawing Iran's Arab neighbours directly into the conflict. Tehran's targeting of energy production further stressed global supplies already under pressure because of Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported.
Since the US and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, Iran's top leaders have been killed in airstrikes and the country's military capabilities have been severely degraded. Still, Iran — now led by the son of the supreme leader killed in the war's opening salvo — remains capable of missile and drone attacks rattling its Gulf Arab neighbors and a global economy dependent on the energy they produce.
Underscoring the danger to ships in the region, a vessel was set ablaze off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and another damaged off Qatar. But efforts to bypass the strait were also under pressure: An Iranian drone hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, which the country had been hoping to use as an alternative exit route.
Brent crude oil, the international standard, spiked to as high as $118 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the United States started the war. The European benchmark for natural gas prices rose 17% on Thursday and has doubled in the past month.
Energy infrastructure is targeted around the Gulf
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE denounced the Iranian attacks. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called them a "dangerous escalation."
But Iran showed no signs of backing down.
Saudi Arabia said its SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu was hit. Saudi Arabia had begun pumping large volumes of oil west toward the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said extensive damage was caused by Iranian missiles hitting the Ras Laffan LNG facility, where production had already been halted after earlier attacks. Damage to the facility could delay Qatar's ability to get supplies to the market even after the war ends.
Two refineries in Kuwait and gas operations in Abu Dhabi also were targeted by Iran, local authorities said.
In Israel, more than a half-dozen waves of Iranian attacks targeting large parts of the country sent millions of people to shelters. The strikes caused damage to buildings but no significant casualties were reported.
After the latest Iranian barrage, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said the electricity grid in northern Israel sustained some damage. He said crews had restored electricity to some areas and were working to restore it in others.
Israeli media showed images of black smoke rising from an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa. They said initial assessments show that part of an Iranian cluster munition hit the refinery.
Israel's Kan 11 public broadcaster aired images on television showing a thick plume of dark smoke rising from the area of the refinery. In a post on X, Kan reported that there were no concerns that hazardous materials had leaked.
Trump says he urged Netanyahu ‘don’t do that’
Iran stepped up its attacks on Gulf energy facilities after Israel hit South Pars, the Iranian part of the world's largest gas field, which is located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly with Qatar.
Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of "uncontrollable consequences" that "could engulf the entire world."
In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again. But he warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar's energy infrastructure, the US would retaliate and "massively blow up the entirety" of the field.
Asked if he’d spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the attack, the president replied, “Yeah, I did, I did. I told him, ‘Don’t do that.’”
Trump continued, “And he won’t do that.” But he added, “We’ve- we’re independent. We get along great. It’s coordinated. But, on occasion, he’ll do something. And if I don’t like it. And so we’re not doing that anymore.”
Trump appeared to be suggesting that he’d spoken to Netanyahu only after Israeli forces hit South Pars, the Iranian part of the world’s largest gas field, which is located in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly with Qatar.
A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that the United States was informed about Israel’s plans to strike Iran’s massive South Pars natural gas field, but did not take part in the attack.
With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the country's electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.
"Israel's target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure," the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note. "It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable."
Hegseth says fate of Iran is in hands of US military
In Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the US military "controls the fate" of Iran.
"Iran has the ability to make the right choices," he said, adding that Tehran "should not, going forward, target Arab allies, Arab countries, trying to create pain, the pain that they created themselves."
The Trump administration has cited various war objectives, including degrading Iran's missile capabilities and its nuclear program. Killing senior leaders has also been a priority for the US and Israel.
Hegseth on Thursday implied Thursday that more leaders could be targeted, referring specifically to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij force, a powerful internal security unit whose leader was killed by Israel earlier this week.
"The last job anyone in the world wants right now, senior leader for the IRGC or Basij, temp jobs, all of them," Hegseth said.
Among the Iranian energy facilities hit in recent days was the Bushehr nuclear power plant complex. There were no injuries and the plant suffered no damage, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that US forces continue to attack deeper into Iranian territory, with warplanes hunting Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz and helicopters striking Iranian drones. Caine said the US military has also dropped 5,000-pound bombs on underground weapon-storage facilities.
Israel said Thursday it struck Iranian targets in the Caspian Sea for the first time. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the strikes hit dozens of targets, including ships, a shipyard and a command center.
The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official said. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information.
Death toll climbs in third week of war
More than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. Israeli strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have displaced more than 1 million people — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 1,000 people have been killed. Israel says it has killed more than 500 Hezbollah militants.
In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. Four people were also killed in the occupied West Bank overnight by an Iranian missile strike, according to officials.
At least 13 US military members have been killed.
