The Israeli air force struck Iran’s South Pars natural gas processing facility, the largest in the world, Wednesday in the first attack of its kind since the war began.
The attack targeted phases three to six of the plant’s facilities, according to Iranian state media, which could jar gas production. Iranian officials said plant workers shut down the phases to stop blazes after the strikes.
The Israeli attacks also hit Iranian oil and petrochemical facilities in nearby Asaluyeh.
Iran blamed Israel and the U.S. for the bombing and vowed to intensify attacks against oil and gas infrastructure across the region, specifically threatening Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail petrochemical complex. The United Arab Emirates’ Al Hasan gas field could also come under attack, Iranian officials said.
The South Pars facility, which Iran shares with Qatar, supplies nearly 70% of Iran’s domestic natural gas.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called the Israeli attacks a “dangerous and irresponsible step” in an already escalating war. He called on Iran and Israel to exercise restraint and adhere to international law.
Energy prices spiked in response to the strikes, with Brent oil climbing nearly 5% to over $108 a barrel.
