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Iranian missile strikes on Qatar have knocked out about 17 per cent of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity and the disruption could last three to five years, QatarEnergy chief executive Saad Al Kaabi said on Thursday.
The damage, centred on the Ras Laffan industrial hub, has taken out about 12.8 million tonnes per year of LNG production after two of the country’s 14 liquefaction trains and a gas-to-liquids facility were hit in the attacks, Mr Al Kaabi told Reuters.
The losses are expected to cost Qatar about $20 billion annually and could force the state-owned producer to declare force majeure on long-term supply contracts with major buyers in Europe and Asia, including Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China.
The strikes mark a sharp escalation in the regional conflict, with Israeli attacks on Iran’s South Pars gasfield, part of the world’s largest gas reserve shared with Qatar, prompting retaliatory strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure.
Market escalation
Qatar, which accounts for about a fifth of global LNG supply, has been central to energy markets, particularly in Asia where long-term contracts dominate trade.
Earlier missile and drone attacks had already forced a halt to LNG production at Ras Laffan, raising concerns among Asian buyers about supply security and contract reliability.
The latest damage is more severe, with QatarEnergy warning that repairs cannot begin until hostilities subside, prolonging uncertainty in global gas markets.
Beyond LNG, exports of condensate and liquefied petroleum gas are also expected to fall sharply, compounding supply constraints across multiple energy and industrial markets.
Wider fallout
The attacks on Qatar’s energy infrastructure follow a broader pattern of strikes across the Gulf, fuelling fears of a prolonged “gas war” and sending oil and gas prices sharply higher.
European gas prices have surged while global benchmarks for oil have climbed above $112 a barrel, reflecting concerns over sustained supply disruption.
The crisis has also raised alarms over supply chains beyond energy, including helium, a critical industrial gas largely exported by Qatar as well as petrochemical feedstocks tied to LNG production.
