Iran War Day 20: Iran strikes Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City in response to South Pars attack; crude prices spike | World News
For the first time since the US and Israel began their joint operation against Iran on February 28, 2026, US President Donald Trump Thursday admitted he was clueless about Israel launching an attack on the world’s largest natural gas field, South Pars, that Iran shared with Qatar in the Gulf.
This airstrike by Tel Aviv has prompted Tehran to warn its neighbours to evacuate their respective energy installations in the Gulf region. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Gulf energy sites were “direct and legitimate targets,” following which it fired five ballistic missiles at Qatar. Of these, four were intercepted, and one of them struck Ras Laffan Industrial City, the heart of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and one of the world’s most important energy export hubs.
In his comments, Trump also sought to assure that Israel will not target the South Pars Gas Field unless Iran attacks “innocents”. He warned Tehran that if it decided to carry out such attacks the US, with or without the help of Israel, will “blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before”.
Here are the top developments on the 20th day of the US-Israel-Iran war:
Israel attacks South Pars gas field: In what can be touted as the first strike on an Iranian energy infrastructure since the US-Israel joint military campaign began against Iran in February this year, Israel on Wednesday struck the world’s largest natural gas field South Pars. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that Iran’s petrochemical complex on the South Pars gas field was hit in the airstrikes.
Iran retaliates, attacks Ras Laffan in Qatar: Following the Israeli airstrikes on South Pars gas field, Iran vowed to retaliate, even as the Islamic nation issued evacuation orders for five energy facilities in the Gulf. On March 18-19, 2026, Iran fired 5 ballistic missiles at Qatar, out of which four were intercepted, and one of them hit the Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar.
Damages in Qatar: According to state energy giant QatarEnergy, several Iranian missiles struck the facility, sparking fires and causing “extensive damage” to critical processing units, including, Pearl GTL facility and multiple LNG facilities. While emergency teams were deployed, there were no reported casualties. QatarEnergy has declared a state of emergency and invoked force majeure on contracted deliveries.
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Trump denies knowledge of Israel attack: Following these attacks, US President Donald Trump Thursday said the US had no clue about Israel launching an attack on the South Pars Gas Field in Iran. He also said Iran did not know this and “unfairly attacked” Qatar’s LNG facility.
Trump warns Iran: The US President also warned Iran directly against any further attacks on Qatar, threatening to “massively blow up the entirety of South Pars” if Qatar is struck again. He called on Iran to reach a nuclear deal and urged it to “stop the insanity”. Trump also stated the US had no involvement in the attack on Ras Laffan and was focused on protecting Qatar.
Oil prices shoot up: The latest attacks led to the benchmark Brent crude futures rising again from $100 to around $112 per barrel on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, crude palm oil prices are expected to remain above 4,450 ringgit ($1,130) per metric ton in the near term due to rising energy prices, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council has said.
UAE shuts gas facilities: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also shut its gas facilities after intercepting missiles early Thursday. The closure comes in response to incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and at the Bab oil field that were caused by falling debris from intercepted missiles. The Habshan complex, operated by Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC, is one of the world’s largest gas processing facilities, comprising 5 plants with a total capacity of 6.1 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd), a Reuters report stated.
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Indian Stock markets crash: The 30-share BSE Sensex opened 1,953.21 points low, or 2.54 per cent down, at 74,750.92 on Thursday, while the 50-share Nifty crashed 580.05 points, or 2.43 per cent to 23,197.75. Weak global trends and unabated foreign fund outflows also adversely affected market sentiments, according to analysts. The American market ended sharply lower on Wednesday.
Joint statement by Arab leaders: In a joint statement, foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Islamic states called on Iran to “immediately halt its attacks” and respect international law. During a meeting in Riyadh, the ministers denounced Iran’s attacks on the Gulf states, Jordan, Azerbaijan and Turkey, which they said had targeted “residential areas, civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential buildings and diplomatic premises.” The leaders also condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon and “reaffirmed support for the security, stability and territorial integrity of Lebanon.”
Saudi Arabia’s warning: As Tehran ramped up its offensive against Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom has said it “reserves right to take military action against Iran.” “We have reserved the right to take military actions, if deemed necessary, and if the time comes, the leadership of the Kingdom will take the necessary decision. We will not shy away from protecting our country and our economic resources,” the Kingdom’s foreign minister said, adding, Saudi Arabia “is not going to succumb to pressure.”