LIVE | Oil and gas prices soar after Iranian attacks on energy centers in the Middle East
The cost of gas soared 35% after the Ayatollah regime attacked a hub in Qatar, while a barrel of crude oil posted gains of up to 5%. Markets fear further impact after Trump threatened to raze Iranian energy hubs.
An F-18 fighter during an Operation Epic Fury mission.
Energy once again became the absolute protagonist of the Middle East conflict, not only because of the steady rise in prices but also because it resulted from direct attacks by both sides on key energy facilities in the region.
The response of the ayatollahs to Israel's bombing of the Iranian gas field, the largest in the world, attacking gas and oil installations in the region has triggered alarms in the markets about a possible problem of shortages and a brutal increase in prices, especially after the threat of Donald Trump to raze Iran's energy hubs.
At the moment, gas has seen the most dramatic surge, shooting up its price by 35%. Oil has increased its price by around 10%, with Brent crude oil at $119.13 and West Texas International (WTI) at $98.81.
Times correspond to Eastern time.
Saudi Arabia doesn't rule out military action against Iran
Saudi Arabia is not ruling out military action in response to repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said.
"We have reserved the right to take military action if deemed necessary," he warned.
Energy prices soar after attacks on energy hubs in Middle East
The price of gas soared by 35% and that of oil by around 5% following attacks by both sides on energy centers in the Middle East.
After the close of Asian stock markets and the first trades on European markets, gas has seen the most spectacular rise. As for crude oil, a barrel of Brent is paid at $119.13 and West Texas International (WTI) at $98.81..
Drone crashes into a Saudi oil refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu
Adrone crashed into the Saudi Samref oil refinery in the industrial zone of the port of Yanbu, in the Red Sea, the Defense Ministry reported, adding that a damage assessment was underway.
On Thursday morning, the ministry announced on X thatit had intercepted a ballistic missile targeted at the port.
The Samref refinery is owned by Saudi state energy giant Aramco and Mobil Yanbu Refining Company, a subsidiary of the U.S. company ExxonMobil.
Two refineries in Kuwait set ablaze in drone attacks
Two refineries of the Kuwaiti national oil company suffered fires after drone strikes, Kuwait's Information Ministry said Thursday.
The first refinery hit was the Mina Al Ahmadi refinery, hit by a drone, which caused a fire.
Shortly after, another fire was declared as a result of a drone strike on "one of the operating units of the Mina Abdullah refinery, belonging to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)," said the ministry on Platform X.
Trump threatens to destroy Iran's gas fields after attacks on Qatar
Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iranian gas fields if Tehran continues its attacks on Qatar, the world's second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, in an escalation that sent oil prices soaring again on Thursday.
If Iran "recklessly decides to attack" Qatar, then the U.S., "with or without the aid and consent of Israel, will massively destroy the entire South Pars gas field," the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He also confirmed that Wednesday's attack on that Iranian field in the gulf was Israel's responsibility and that the United States had "no knowledge" of that action.
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Trump says US was not informed of Israeli strike on Iran's gas field, warns Tehran after Qatar retaliation
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón
Iran will "boycott the United States," but "not the World Cup"
Iran will "boycott the United States," but "not the World Cup" Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj said Wednesday.
According to the program, Iran must play the group stage matches in the United States, but is now studying the possibility of moving those matches to Mexico.
"We will prepare for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States, but not the World Cup," Taj said Wednesday in a video published by the Fars news agency.
Qatar claims damage from Iranian attack on its gas facility was 'considerable'
Qatar's state-owned energy company claimed that Iran's Thursday missile attacks on the Gulf country's main gas facility caused "considerable" damage.
Qatar Energy said in a statement that several of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities "were targeted by missile attacks, causing large fires and considerable damage" following an earlier attack.
The company said Wednesday's attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City had caused considerable damage to the plant. The Qatari civil defense controlled two of the three fires set by the missiles, said the Interior Ministry, which reported no casualties from the missiles.
Three women and one foreign worker killed in West Bank and Israel by Iranian missiles
Three women were killed by falling Iranian missile debris in a Palestinian town in the West Bank, medical services reported Thursday, shortly after the Israeli military reported Iranian shells were fired.
Meanwhile, a foreign worker was killed by Iranian missile fire into Israel.
Everything that's happened in the Middle East war so far, here
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