Gas prices in Europe spiked by 35% on Thursday amid supply concerns, Bloomberg reported.
The concerns were triggered after Iran struck energy facilities across the Gulf, including Qatar’s main liquefied natural gas complex, in retaliation to an attack on its refinery on Wednesday.
Qatar on Thursday reported “extensive damage” after Iran struck the Ras Laffan industrial complex, home to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas facility. The complex supplied 19% of global liquefied natural gas exports in 2025.
Ras Laffan was struck after the Israeli-United States forces on Wednesday hit Iranian energy facilities associated with its South Pars gas field, the world’s largest gas reserve that it shares with Qatar.
The Iranian strikes also hit the Habshan gas facility and the Bab oil field in the United Arab Emirates.
Gulf, Islamic countries condemn Iranian attacks
Following a meeting in Riyadh on Thursday, foreign ministers of a group of Arab and Islamic countries said that the attacks by Iran cannot be justified under any pretext.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey reiterated the right of states to defend themselves in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
The 12 countries called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks. The statement quoted the ministers as having emphasised that the future of relations with Iran depends on respecting the sovereignty of states, not interfering in their internal affairs, refraining from violating their sovereignty or their territories and not using military capabilities to threaten countries in West Asia.
The countries called on Iran to refrain from taking any measures to close or obstruct the passage of international commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz or to threaten maritime security in Bab al-Mandab, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Trump’s warning
US President Donald Trump said that Israel had “violently lashed out” at the major Iranian energy facility “out of anger for what has taken place” in West Asia. Trump claimed that the US, which is attacking Iran alongside Israel, “knew nothing about this particular attack”.
He said that Qatar was not involved in the attack on the Iranian facility. “Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack” and had unjustifiably attacked a portion of a Qatari gas facility.
Trump claimed that “no more attacks will be made by Israel” on the “important and valuable South Pars field” unless Iran “unwisely decides” to strike Qatar. In this case, Trump said, the US will “blow up the entirety” of the South Pars gas field.
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