After the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran’s main natural gas field facilities, Iran threatened to target energy infrastructure throughout the Persian Gulf. QatarEnergy announced on the 18th that Iran had launched an attack on the world’s largest natural gas hub located in Qatar, causing significant damage.
According to comprehensive foreign media reports, QatarEnergy stated: “QatarEnergy confirms that Ras Laffan Industrial City has come under missile attack tonight.”
“The emergency response teams were immediately deployed for firefighting, and the blaze caused considerable damage. All personnel have been accounted for and there are currently no reports of casualties.”
According to Al Jazeera, the Ras Laffan industrial complex is located about 80 kilometers northeast of Qatar’s capital, Doha, and is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility.
The output of this facility accounts for about 20% of global LNG supply and plays an important role in balancing fuel demand between Asian and European markets.
The Qatari Ministry of Defense said that Qatar was hit by five ballistic missiles from Iran that day, intercepted four of them, and one landed in Ras Laffan Industrial City causing a fire.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning Iran’s attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City, stating that it was a serious escalation.
According to Iranian media reports earlier on the 18th, parts of petrochemical facilities in Iran’s South Pars and Assaluyeh in Bushehr Province were attacked by the United States and Israel. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran then issued an urgent warning, declaring that the energy facilities of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar had become “legitimate targets.”