Iran’s Revolutionary Guards set the Gulf’s energy sector ablaze with a sweeping retaliation threat on Wednesday, naming facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar for imminent strikes after Israeli forces hit the South Pars gasfield. Evacuation orders were issued and specific targets publicly named. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as the scope of Iran’s intended retaliation became clear.
South Pars holds the planet’s largest natural gas reserves and is jointly operated between Iran and Qatar. The Israeli strike on the field — reportedly with US consent — was unprecedented in the conflict and ended a months-long restraint around Iranian fossil fuel infrastructure. Both Washington and Tel Aviv had previously avoided targeting Iranian energy assets, but that policy had now changed — with immediate and alarming consequences.
Iran’s state media named Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan installations as imminent targets. All workers and residents were ordered to evacuate without delay. Iran’s Asaluyeh governor called the US-Israeli strike “political suicide” and said the war had moved into a full-scale economic phase that would affect the global energy order for years.
Oil prices climbed to $108.60 per barrel — a nearly 5% gain — while European gas markets surged more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already been slashed by 60% from pre-war levels due to infrastructure damage and Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade. Iran had continued shipping its own crude through the strait unimpeded while blocking Gulf neighbors’ shipments, creating a strategic imbalance that had persisted throughout the conflict.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned the international community that attacking energy infrastructure posed a grave threat to global energy security, the environment, and millions of people across the region. With evacuation orders in place, specific targets named, and a tight window announced, Iran’s threat had the hallmarks of genuine military preparation rather than diplomatic posturing. The energy world held its breath.