Iran carried out this Wednesday attacks against United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, causing a massive fire in the Qatar refinery of Ras Laffan, the main center of liquefied natural gas in the Gulf, and in a fuel depot for planes in Riyadh. The Qatari government confirmed serious damage in Ras Laffan, where civil defense teams are fighting the flames without reports of victims so far.
Details of the fire in the Qatar refinery
<QatarEnergy immediately deployed emergency brigades to contain the fire in the Qatar refinery, vital for the export of LNG that represents more than 70% of national production. Official Qatari sources emphasize that there are no casualties, but structural damage could affect global gas supplies, given Ras Laffan’s capacity to process 77 million tons annually.
Context of the escalation: retaliation against Israel
These attacks occur hours after Israel bombed the Pars Sur gas facilities, the shared field by Iran and Qatar, the largest in the world with estimated reserves of 1,800 billion cubic feet. The Iranian army had warned that it would not remain unpunished the aggression, linking the strikes to a direct response.
Attacks in the UAE and Bahrain
In United Arab Emirates, agencies such as Fars and Tasnim report a fire in a fuel depot in Al-Kharj, used for US planes. The UAE Ministry of Defense intercepted drones in that area and another directed at a gas plant in the east. In Bahrain, Iranian missiles hit a Qatar refinery near the bridge to Saudi Arabia, causing severe damage according to Fars.
Experts in geopolitics highlight that this Qatar refinery is strategic due to its role in the global energy market, where Qatar is the largest exporter of LNG. Historically, tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated since 2023 with cyberattacks and sabotage of oil infrastructure, according to reports from think tanks such as the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
- Economic impact: Possible 5-10% increase in natural gas prices if interruptions persist.
- Regional response: Saudi Arabia and UAE raise alert in air bases.
- Background: Similar to the attack on Aramco in 2019, attributed to Iran.
The Qatar refinery remains the focus of attention while evaluating the repercussions. This episode aggravates the instability in the Middle East, with risks for global energy trade.
