Israel Bombs Iran's South Pars Gas Field in First Energy Target Strike, Trump Threatens Destruction

Israel and the United States bombed Iran's South Pars gas field, marking the first publicly announced attack on Iran's energy infrastructure since the war began.

“Brent crude rose more than four percent on Wednesday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to strike several energy facilities in the region, in response to an attack that targeted Iranian energy facilities, heightening the risk of ongoing supply disruptions from the region”

AL24 News

The Pars gas field is the world's largest natural gas reserve, shared between Iran and Qatar, containing 1,800 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas.

AL24 News

The field provides about 70% of Iran's domestic gas needs and is a cornerstone of its economy.

Trump claimed Israel acted alone without U.S. knowledge and warned the U.S. military would destroy the field if Iran attacks Qatar's LNG facilities again.

Iran retaliated by striking energy facilities of its Gulf neighbors Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The Arab states condemned Iran's attacks as a serious escalation.

BBC

Brent crude oil prices rose more than 4%, with Brent trading above $108 a barrel.

European gas prices surged by up to 35% amid growing uncertainty.

European stocks plunged as the attack pushed Brent crude oil above $108 a barrel.

“(CNN) — The Israeli attack on Iranian facilities in the South Pars gas field marked a dangerous escalation in the war, prompting Iran, furious, to strike key energy facilities of its Gulf neighbors, which led to higher oil prices and to the U”

CNN Arabic

The STOXX 600 fell 0.7%, Germany's DAX dropped 1.46%, and France's CAC 40 declined 0.7%.

Basic consumer staples and healthcare plunged over 2%.

The attack ended two days of European gains and punctured optimism that Trump might soften his stance.

The Trump and Netanyahu administrations dismissed attacks on energy infrastructure as legitimate military targets.

International lawyers and human rights groups viewed them as raising legal and humanitarian red flags.

RFI

Former ICC prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo compared these actions to Russian war crimes charges in Ukraine.

Trump warned that if LNG facilities in Qatar or the UAE were attacked again, the United States would destroy the entire South Pars field.

“European stocks paused their rally on Wednesday after an attack on Iran's Pars gas field pushed oil prices higher and renewed fears of a flare-up in the Middle East, ending the calm that had prevailed since the start of the week”

Sawt Beirut

The Atlantic Council described the campaign as a high-risk gamble with unclear objectives.

TradingView

Polls showed only 27% of Americans approved of the strikes.