Saudi Aramco facilities and Gulf energy giants were placed on their highest alert Wednesday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened imminent strikes against energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar following an Israeli attack on the South Pars gasfield. Specific targets were named and evacuation orders issued. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as the world’s largest energy companies faced the most direct military threat in their recent history.
South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, is shared between Iran and Qatar and has been at the core of Iran’s energy revenues throughout the conflict. The Israeli attack — reportedly with US authorization — was the first direct strike on Iranian fossil fuel production. Washington and Tel Aviv had previously avoided this step, but crossing it triggered Iran’s most specific and comprehensive military threat of the war.
Named targets included Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan facilities. All personnel were ordered to evacuate without delay. Governor Eskandar Pasalar of Asaluyeh condemned the US-Israeli escalation as “political suicide” and declared the conflict had entered a full-scale economic war phase.
Oil prices climbed to $108.60 per barrel — close to $110 — while European gas benchmarks 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 blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had continued to export its own crude through the strait unimpeded while preventing Gulf neighbors from doing so. The threat of Iranian strikes on Saudi and Gulf energy sites raised fears of a catastrophic global supply disruption.
Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that targeting energy infrastructure was a grave threat to global energy security and the welfare of millions. From Dhahran to Doha, energy companies were activating emergency protocols and assessing the vulnerability of their most critical assets. The highest alert had been reached — and with Iran’s clock running, the world’s most consequential energy companies faced a threat unlike any they had confronted in the modern era.