Israel Agrees to Refrain from Attacking Iranian Gas Fields Following Trump’s Request
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed readiness to refrain from future attacks on gas fields located in Iran. He stated that Israel agreed to this following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump. However, on the Iranian New Year ‘Nowruz,’ Israel continued its air strikes on the capital Tehran. In retaliation, Iran launched multiple missile attacks targeting Jerusalem on Thursday night.
At a press conference held Thursday night, Netanyahu claimed that Iran had been significantly weakened and was now incapable of uranium enrichment or developing ballistic capabilities. He also denied allegations that he had drawn the United States into war with Iran. Reports of explosions were heard overnight in both Jerusalem and Tehran. Previously, Iran’s Foreign Minister warned that any further attacks on their country would lead to unbearable consequences.
Several Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, have recorded missile or drone attacks on their territories. Following a drone attack, Kuwaiti government media reported a fire at an oil processing facility in Kuwait. Meanwhile, the U.S.-based human rights group HRANA reported that since the war began on February 28, the death toll in Iran has reached 3,186.
After Israel attacked the South Pars gas field, Iran launched counterattacks this week, causing a sharp increase in global gas prices. Following Israel’s announcement that it would not conduct further attacks and the U.S. plan to increase oil production, prices have started to decline. Additionally, countries including the UK, France, and Japan issued a joint statement Thursday night expressing readiness to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
While Israel and the U.S. have continued their strikes, Iran has been attacking oil tankers in an attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz. Significant damage occurred in Qatar after Iran attacked the Ras Laffan energy plant, leading to a sharp rise in gas prices in the UK and Europe. Qatar’s Prime Minister described the attack as “the most dangerous provocation” by Iran. According to Qatar’s Energy Minister, the Iranian assault will reduce Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by 17% for the next five years.
He further stated that Qatar would face an annual loss of $20 billion due to this. LNG production involves cooling natural gas to extremely low temperatures using specialized industrial processing units called “trains.” According to Qatar, the Iranian attack damaged two out of 14 trains at the facility. Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, India, and China are highly dependent on Qatari-produced LNG. Since the onset of the Ukraine war, Europe has increasingly shifted from Russian gas to gas produced in the Middle East. LNG is widely used for cooking, heating homes during winter, powering vessels and factories, and even in fertilizer production.