Under the U.S.-Iran conflict, key energy infrastructure in the Middle East has frequently come under attack, triggering international concerns over energy supply.
The attacked facilities include multiple important gas fields, oil fields, refineries, natural gas plants, and natural gas processing and export centers critical to maintaining global supply, with impacts spanning across various Middle Eastern countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.
The escalating situation has caused oil prices to soar, revealing vulnerabilities in the global energy supply chain.
As the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict continues, major energy-exporting nations in the Middle East are also finding it difficult to remain unscathed amid this geopolitical quagmire. Key energy infrastructures in Gulf nations that support global supply have been targeted by attacks, forcing shutdowns. This has further heightened international energy concerns, prompting relevant organizations to begin preparing for potential long-term disruptions to global energy supply.
Previously, Bank of America, Standard Chartered, and other financial institutions had raised their forecasts for crude oil prices, citing long-term supply risks and potential ongoing disruptions in the energy market.
South Pars Gas Field and Assaluyeh Processing Center
On Wednesday, Israel attacked Iran’s massive South Pars gas field and the key energy processing hub of Assaluyeh.
The South Pars gas field, jointly owned by Iran and Qatar, is the world’s largest natural gas reserve base, with recoverable natural gas estimated at approximately 1,800 trillion cubic feet.
QatarEnergy extracts approximately 18.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily from the field, while Qatar supplies roughly one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas.
Iran holds a relatively smaller share of the field and has been constrained by decades of sanctions and insufficient investment, with most of its produced natural gas used for domestic consumption rather than export.
Meanwhile, Assaluyeh, a coastal port city in Iran's Bushehr Province, serves as the onshore processing center for the South Pars gas field. It hosts a dense concentration of petrochemical plants, refineries, and export terminals. Production disruptions in Assaluyeh will impact Iran’s ability to process and export energy resources from the field.
Qatar Ras Laffan Natural Gas Processing and Export Center
On the same day, Iran launched retaliatory missile attacks on Ras Laffan, one of the world’s most crucial natural gas processing and export hubs located in Qatar, causing significant damage.
Ras Laffan, situated approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Doha, hosts extensive natural gas storage and export facilities and is adjacent to international shipping routes.
Given that Ras Laffan is a major pillar of Qatar’s economy and a cornerstone of the global natural gas market, this destruction will not only have a devastating impact on Qatar but also disrupt global energy flows and commodity markets.
Habshan Gas Plant and Bab Oil Field in the UAE
Iran also attempted further attacks on the energy infrastructure of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with the Habshan Gas Plant in Abu Dhabi and the Bab Oil Field becoming targets.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office stated that the gas facilities had been shut down, with no reports of casualties so far.
Operated by Adnoc Gas, Habshan is one of the largest gas processing facilities globally, comprising five plants with 14 processing lines and a daily processing capacity of 6.1 billion standard cubic feet. The Bab Oil Field is the largest onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi.
According to Worldometers, the UAE ranks as the tenth-largest natural gas producer globally and holds a pivotal position in the global energy trade system.
Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery in Kuwait
The latest target of the attack was the Mina Al Ahmadi refinery, located approximately 50 kilometers south of Kuwait City. According to engineering firm RWDI, it is one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a daily production capacity of about 730,000 barrels of oil.
The drone attack on Thursday caused a fire in one of the refinery units at the plant, resulting in localized damage but no casualties.
According to Worldometer data, as of 2025, Kuwait holds approximately 101.5 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, making it the seventh-largest oil producer and accounting for nearly 6% of global reserves.
Chain Reaction
Other energy facilities targeted in the Gulf region include Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery, with a daily capacity of 550,000 barrels, and Iraq's Majnoon oilfield, which has been attacked twice.
Facilities affected in the UAE include the Shah gas plant in Abu Dhabi, which supplies about 20% of the country’s natural gas and 5% of the world’s granular sulfur.
Additionally, remnants of the drones sparked a fire at the Port of Fujairah, a key oil export terminal in the UAE, halting loading operations. Last week, the Port of Salalah in Oman also suffered a drone attack, igniting multiple fuel storage tanks.
Notably, while Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint, attacks on alternative routes through the Port of Fujairah and the Port of Salalah have underscored targeted disruptions to energy supply amid regional conflicts.
Meanwhile, escalating tensions have kept oil prices volatile: crude prices surged again on Thursday and continued to rise; however, after Israel announced a suspension of attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure and the U.S. clarified that it would not restrict oil exports, Brent crude pared gains to close up just 1.18%, while WTI crude turned negative.
This geopolitical conflict has exposed vulnerabilities in the global energy supply chain. Regional military confrontations are rapidly evolving into global economic shocks affecting stock markets and commodity prices. In an era of global trade, no country can remain insulated when crises erupt.
Editor/Melody