Iran’s energy strike warning carried unprecedented specificity on Wednesday after an Israeli attack on the South Pars gasfield prompted the Revolutionary Guards to name exact facilities, issue evacuation orders, and set a timeframe of “coming hours.” Facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar were in Iran’s crosshairs. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as the unusual specificity of the warning gave it a credibility that markets and governments could not ignore.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, is shared between Iran and Qatar and critical to Iran’s energy export revenues. The Israeli strike — reportedly with US authorization — was the first direct attack on Iranian fossil fuel production in the conflict. Both countries had previously avoided this step, but crossing the line triggered the most detailed and credible retaliatory declaration of the war.
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 facilities as targets. All workers and residents near these sites were told to leave immediately. Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar called the US-Israeli action “political suicide” and declared Iran was now fighting a full-scale economic war.
Oil prices rose nearly 5% to $108.60 a barrel, while European gas benchmarks climbed more than 7.5%. Gulf oil exports had already fallen 60% from pre-war volumes 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’ exports. The threat of Iranian strikes on Gulf energy facilities raised fears of a devastating further supply disruption.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that targeting energy infrastructure constituted a serious threat to global energy security and the welfare of millions. The unprecedented specificity of Iran’s warning — with named targets, evacuation orders, and a tight window — set it apart from typical wartime rhetoric and gave it the character of genuine military preparation. The world was left in little doubt that the Gulf’s energy war had reached a historic and potentially catastrophic turning point.