TEHRAN – Iran is preparing to retaliate against a U.S.-Israeli attack that struck parts of its refining facilities in the southern port city of Asaluyeh on Wednesday morning. The targeted installations process a significant portion of natural gas extracted from South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, located on the maritime border between Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf.
Since the outset of the war, Iran has repeatedly warned that any attack on its energy infrastructure would be met with a reciprocal strike on energy sites in which the U.S. and Israel hold stakes, as well as on new facilities in the Persian Gulf country or countries from which such an attack was launched.
Shortly after the assault on Asaluyeh, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) issued an urgent evacuation order for residents living near key energy production facilities in three Persian Gulf Arab states. The IRGC warning stated that five complexes—including two refineries, two petrochemical plants, and a gas field—in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have now become legitimate targets for Iranian retaliation. It urged citizens, residents, and workers in the vicinity of these facilities to evacuate immediately to safeguard their lives.
The facilities named in the warning include the SAMREF Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex in Saudi Arabia, the Al Hosn Gas Field in the UAE, and Al Mesaieed Holding and Petrochemical Complex, along with Phases 1 and 2 of the Ras Laffan Refinery in Qatar.
Following the evacuation order, the spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters—the body overseeing the war—issued a stark warning: “This is a final and unequivocal warning to the criminals who have targeted parts of Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure in the south.” He added, “As a direct consequence of this aggression, the fuel, energy, and gas infrastructure belonging to the source of the attack will be set ablaze and reduced to ashes at the very first opportunity.” He further stated, “We are telling the cowardly and aggressive army of criminal America and the brutal, child-killing Zionist regime that you will be forced to throw your soldiers into the sea and watch your honor go up in smoke. The necks of your commanders and soldiers are under the bootsole of the warriors of Islam.”
Shortly after the Iranian sites were attacked, global oil prices surged, continuing a trend of more than two and a half weeks of steady increases. Brent crude oil reached $110 a barrel on Wednesday afternoon—an increase of nearly $6 from the previous day. Oil prices have been climbing since the war began on February 28, when a barrel stood at just over $71, following Iran’s announcement that it would restrict navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, through which over 20% of the world’s energy products previously passed daily. The U.S. has been unable to force the waterway open, and its NATO and Asian allies have refused to come to its aid despite repeated appeals from President Donald Trump. Iran’s anticipated retaliation is expected to drive oil prices even higher.
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