Iran Battle Day 20: Iran strikes Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis in response to South Pars assault; crude costs spike | World Information
For the primary time because the US and Israel started their joint operation towards Iran on February 28, 2026, US President Donald Trump Thursday admitted he was clueless about Israel launching an assault on the world’s largest pure gasoline area, South Pars, that Iran shared with Qatar within the Gulf.
This airstrike by Tel Aviv has prompted Tehran to warn its neighbours to evacuate their respective vitality installations within the Gulf area. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Gulf vitality websites had been “direct and bonafide targets,” following which it fired 5 ballistic missiles at Qatar. Of those, 4 had been intercepted, and one among them struck Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis, the guts of Qatar’s liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) infrastructure and one of many world’s most necessary vitality export hubs.
In his feedback, Trump additionally sought to guarantee that Israel is not going to goal the South Pars Fuel Subject except Iran assaults “innocents”. He warned Tehran that if it determined to hold out such assaults the US, with or with out the assistance of Israel, will “blow up the whole lot of the South Pars Fuel Subject at an quantity of power and energy that Iran has by no means seen or witnessed earlier than”.
Listed below are the highest developments on the twentieth day of the US-Israel-Iran conflict:
Israel assaults South Pars gasoline area: In what could be touted as the primary strike on an Iranian vitality infrastructure because the US-Israel joint navy marketing campaign started towards Iran in February this yr, Israel on Wednesday struck the world’s largest pure gasoline area South Pars. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim information company reported that Iran’s petrochemical complicated on the South Pars gasoline area was hit within the airstrikes.
Iran retaliates, assaults Ras Laffan in Qatar: Following the Israeli airstrikes on South Pars gasoline area, Iran vowed to retaliate, even because the Islamic nation issued evacuation orders for 5 vitality amenities within the Gulf. On March 18-19, 2026, Iran fired 5 ballistic missiles at Qatar, out of which 4 had been intercepted, and one among them hit the Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis in Qatar.
Damages in Qatar: In line with state vitality big QatarEnergy, a number of Iranian missiles struck the power, sparking fires and inflicting “in depth harm” to important processing items, together with, Pearl GTL facility and a number of LNG amenities. Whereas emergency groups had been deployed, there have been no reported casualties. QatarEnergy has declared a state of emergency and invoked pressure majeure on contracted deliveries.
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Trump denies information of Israel assault: Following these assaults, US President Donald Trump Thursday mentioned the US had no clue about Israel launching an assault on the South Pars Fuel Subject in Iran. He additionally mentioned Iran didn’t know this and “unfairly attacked” Qatar’s LNG facility.
Trump warns Iran: The US President additionally warned Iran straight towards any additional assaults on Qatar, threatening to “massively blow up the whole lot of South Pars” if Qatar is struck once more. He known as on Iran to achieve a nuclear deal and urged it to “cease the madness”. Trump additionally said the US had no involvement within the assault on Ras Laffan and was centered on defending Qatar.
Oil costs shoot up: The most recent assaults led to the benchmark Brent crude futures rising once more from $100 to round $112 per barrel on Thursday morning. In the meantime, crude palm oil costs are anticipated to stay above 4,450 ringgit ($1,130) per metric ton in the close to time period as a consequence of rising vitality costs, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council has mentioned.
UAE shuts gasoline amenities: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has additionally shut its gasoline amenities after intercepting missiles early Thursday. The closure is available in response to incidents on the Habshan gasoline amenities and on the Bab oil area that had been attributable to falling particles from intercepted missiles. The Habshan complicated, operated by Abu Dhabi state oil big ADNOC, is without doubt one of the world’s largest gasoline processing amenities, comprising 5 vegetation with a complete capability of 6.1 billion normal cubic ft per day (bscfd), a Reuters report said.
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Indian Inventory markets crash: The 30-share BSE Sensex opened 1,953.21 factors low, or 2.54 per cent down, at 74,750.92 on Thursday, whereas the 50-share Nifty crashed 580.05 factors, or 2.43 per cent to 23,197.75. Weak world traits and unabated international fund outflows additionally adversely affected market sentiments, in response to analysts. The American market ended sharply decrease on Wednesday.
Joint assertion by Arab leaders: In a joint assertion, international ministers of 12 Arab and Islamic states known as on Iran to “instantly halt its assaults” and respect worldwide legislation. Throughout a gathering in Riyadh, the ministers denounced Iran’s assaults on the Gulf states, Jordan, Azerbaijan and Turkey, which they mentioned had focused “residential areas, civilian infrastructure, together with oil amenities, desalination vegetation, airports, residential buildings and diplomatic premises.” The leaders additionally condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon and “reaffirmed assist for the safety, stability and territorial integrity of Lebanon.”
Saudi Arabia’s warning: As Tehran ramped up its offensive towards Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom has mentioned it “reserves proper to take navy motion towards Iran.” “We have now reserved the precise to take navy actions, if deemed needed, and if the time comes, the management of the Kingdom will take the mandatory resolution. We is not going to shrink back from defending our nation and our financial sources,” the Kingdom’s international minister mentioned, including, Saudi Arabia “is just not going to succumb to stress.”