Israel and Iran assault fuel services, in a serious escalation that rattles markets : NPR

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Oliver Contreras/AFP by way of Getty Pictures Iran attacked the world's greatest liquified pure fuel advanced in Qatar, focused a fuel area and facility within the United Arab Emirates, fired missiles and launched drones on Saudi Arabia on Thursday following Israel's bombing of Iran's South Pars fuel area a day earlier.

The assaults on the fuel services within the Gulf marked a serious escalation because the warfare with Iran approached its third week, with Iran participating in direct assault on its Gulf neighbors Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait Information Company additionally reported a drone assault, confirmed by Kuwait Petroleum Company, on one of many items in Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, one of many largest within the Center East, on Thursday morning.

The strikes on a few of the world's main fuel services despatched shockwaves throughout the worldwide vitality market already reeling from the implications of Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit of the world's oil provide.

Brent crude oil was above $110 a barrel in Thursday morning buying and selling, a rise of over 50% for the reason that begin of the warfare on Feb. 28.

President Trump mentioned late Wednesday that Israel acted alone when it struck the fuel area in Iran. In a Reality Social put up Trump mentioned:

"Israel, out of anger for what has taken place within the Center East, has violently lashed out at a serious facility often called South Pars Fuel Area in Iran. A comparatively small part of the entire has been hit. The US knew nothing about this explicit assault, and the nation of Qatar was by no means, form, or kind, concerned with it, nor did it have any concept that it was going to occur."

Trump mentioned that Israel wouldn't assault Iran's South Pars services once more, whereas threatening Iran to halt its assaults on Qatar's fuel infrastructure or face extreme U.S. strikes on its fuel infrastructure.

"The US of America, with or with out the assistance or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the complete South Pars Fuel Area at an quantity and power and energy that Iran has by no means seen or witnessed earlier than," Trump wrote within the Reality Social put up.

The Iranian assaults drew condemnation from the three Gulf nations, which known as their focusing on "a harmful escalation."

"What little belief there was has utterly been shattered, has been shattered on a number of ranges," mentioned Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Kingdom's overseas minister on Thursday.

He added, "the persistence that's being exhibited just isn't limitless."

Listed here are additional updates from the battle.

Qatar says its fuel services suffered intensive injury <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8e%2F7d%2Fac5b23de4dceaa84eb469f4054ac%2Fgettyimages-2263872950.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8e%2F7d%2Fac5b23de4dceaa84eb469f4054ac%2Fgettyimages-2263872950.jpg" class="img" alt="This photo shows QatarEnergy's operating facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City on March 2, 2026. Qatar suspended liquefied natural gas production on March 2, causing a massive leap in prices, after Iranian strikes hit Gulf energy facilities in a new escalation of the Middle East war." loading="lazy"/> This photograph reveals QatarEnergy's working services in Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis on March 2, 2026. Qatar suspended liquefied pure fuel manufacturing on March 2, inflicting a large leap in costs, after Iranian strikes hit Gulf vitality services in a brand new escalation of the Center East warfare. Getty Pictures/AFP cover caption

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Getty Pictures/AFP QatarEnergy mentioned Thursday its Ras Laffan gas-to-liquid facility suffered intensive injury from the Iranian strikes a day earlier.

Authorities mentioned a number of of Qatar's liquefied pure fuel services got here below missile assault once more early Thursday, setting them ablaze and inflicting additional injury.

Qatar, one of many world's greatest producers of liquified pure fuel, has needed to halt all fuel manufacturing attributable to Iranian counterattacks within the warfare, disrupting international provides and the manufacturing of fertilizer already.

Qatar expelled Iranian navy attaches in response to the Iranian assaults. In a press release issued on Wednesday, Qatar condemned Iran's assault on its property as "a harmful escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct menace to its nationwide safety and regional stability."

Fuel infrastructure focused in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Authorities within the United Arab Emirates mentioned the nation's Habshan fuel facility and Bab area got here below assault from Iran in a single day. Authorities mentioned the missiles towards these websites had been intercepted, however as a result of falling particles, the fuel services have been shut down.

In its condemnation of the assaults, UAE's overseas ministry mentioned it "reserved its full proper to take all vital measures to guard its sovereignty and nationwide safety, and to safeguard its nationwide pursuits."

The strikes on Qatar's fuel services and people on two fuel websites within the United Arab Emirates adopted Israel's assault on Iran's South Pars fuel area on Wednesday. Qatar mentioned Israel's assault focused the Iranian facet of the underwater fuel area that the 2 nations share.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F65%2F33%2Faf2a9ed5499f892ea4e0354e10e6%2Fgettyimages-498262554.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F65%2F33%2Faf2a9ed5499f892ea4e0354e10e6%2Fgettyimages-498262554.jpg" class="img" alt="A picture shows a general view of the phase 17-18 of the South Pars gas field facilities in the southern Iranian port town of Assaluyeh on the shore of the Gulf on November 19, 2015." loading="lazy"/> An image reveals a common view of the part 17-18 of the South Pars fuel area services within the southern Iranian port city of Assaluyeh on the shore of the Gulf on November 19, 2015. Atta Kenare/AFP by way of Getty Pictures cover caption

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Atta Kenare/AFP by way of Getty Pictures Previous to the Iranian assault on the Gulf nations, Qatar's officers condemned Israel's strike towards Iranian fuel fields as "a harmful and irresponsible step."

"Concentrating on vitality infrastructure constitutes a menace to international vitality safety, in addition to to the peoples of the area and its atmosphere," mentioned Majed Al-Ansari, Qatar's overseas ministry spokesman on X.