Iran has vowed to hit energy targets throughout the Gulf in response to strikes on its South Pars gas field

The Qatari Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel's attack on Iran's South Pars gas field, which is jointly operated by Iran and Qatar. The ministry said that strikes on Pars constitute "a threat to global energy security."

Gas processing facilities on the Iranian side of the field were damaged in strikes on Wednesday. While Israel has not taken responsibility for the strikes, Axios reported that they were carried out by Israeli forces in coordination with the US.

In a post on X, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari blamed the destruction on Israel.

"The Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran's South Pars field, an extension of Qatar's North Field, is a dangerous and irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region," he wrote. "Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region and its environment."

Al-Ansari called on all parties involved in the conflict to "exercise restraint" and avoid "the targeting of vital facilities."

South Pars/North Field is the world's largest natural gas field. Holding an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, its recoverable reserves are believed to be almost as large those of every other gas field on earth combined. Qatar depends on oil and gas for 80% of its revenues, with almost all of its gas extracted from this field.

Iran has threatened to retaliate to the attack in kind. "As previously warned, if the fuel, energy, gas, and economic infrastructures of our country is attacked by the American-Zionist enemy, in addition to a powerful counterattack against the enemy, we will severely strike the origin of that aggression as well," the country's military said in a statement to Iranian media.

"We consider targeting the fuel, energy, and gas infrastructures of the countries of origin legitimate and will retaliate strongly at the earliest opportunity," the statement continued.

In the hours after the attack on South Pars, loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, while QatarEnergy announced that missiles had hit the Ras Laffan LNG hub, causing "significant damage." Qatar's civil defense agency blamed the attack on Iran.

(RT.com)