Iran's Escalation Hits Global LNG Supplies After Khamenei's Warning
Image Source: Internet
Iran intensified its attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure on Thursday, striking major liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Qatar and gas installations in the United Arab Emirates hours after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that “every drop of spilled blood comes at a price” following the killing of Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani.
Missile strikes set parts of Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas complex, one of the world’s largest LNG hubs, ablaze, forcing authorities to battle “sizeable fires and extensive further damage”, QatarEnergy said. Production at the facility had already been halted following earlier attacks.
The United Arab Emirates said it had shut down operations at its Habshan gas facility and the Bab oil and gas field after Iranian missiles were intercepted over the sites. Abu Dhabi condemned the overnight attacks as a “dangerous escalation” in the widening Middle East conflict.
The strikes marked a significant expansion of the war into the Gulf’s energy lifelines, threatening global fuel supplies and sending oil prices soaring.
