US/Israel-Iran War (Day 20): War threatens global gas supply

The Brent crude oil benchmark rose to $112 a barrel in early Thursday trade.

Over 1,500 people have now been confirmed dead in the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran.

Also, attacks on major gas facilities in four Middle Eastern countries on Wednesday are worsening the war’s economic impact.

The war entered its twentieth day today (Thursday).

Strikes are intensifying, casualties rising, with the majority of them in Iran. More than 1,500 people have been confirmed dead from the war, with over 1,400 of them killed in Iran.

We bring you major updates on the war on its nineteenth day.

Global gas supply threatened

The war now threatens global gas supply after attacks and reprisals on gas facilities in the Middle East.

On Wednesday, Israel struck South Pars, Iran’s largest gas field, which is key to the country’s economy.

Hours later, Iran, in retaliation for this attack, struck Ras Laffan, Qatar’s major LNG industry, causing “extensive damage.”

Iran also targeted major gas infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Oil and gas prices surged after the attacks. After Iran reported the airstrike on its facility located on the world’s largest natural gas field, oil prices rose above $110 a barrel.

The Brent crude oil benchmark rose to $112 a barrel early Thursday in Asian trading, according to the BBC.

After the attack on Qatar’s facilities, gas and oil prices surged 6 per cent in Europe and about 20 per cent in the UK.

The increase in oil and gas prices is also expected to affect Nigeria.

Tension between Iran and its neighbours is growing

On Wednesday evening, Qatar declared military and security attaches at the Iranian embassy in Doha, alongside their staff, persona non grata.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Qatar’s foreign ministry demanded that the officials leave Qatar within 24 hours.

Qatar said its decision was a result of Iran’s repeated attacks on Qatar, while noting that the Ras Laffan Industrial City was targeted with missiles that caused widespread fires and extensive damage.

“Qatar considers both the military attache and the security attache at the embassy, in addition to the staff of the two attache offices, persona non grata.”

Qatar also threatened to take “additional measures” should Iran continue to attack its territory.

These measures, it noted, will be “in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security, and national interests.”

Saudi Arabia also threatened to carry out retaliatory attacks on Iran in response to Iranian attacks on its territory.

Trump claims US not briefed before the strike on Iran’s gas plant

President Donald Trump tried to distance the US from the attack on Iran, which prompted Tehran’s attacks on energy sites across the Gulf.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the US did not know about Israel’s plans to strike the South Pars gasfield.

Mr Trump criticised the Israeli strikes and declared that Qatar also had no form of involvement in the attack.

“Unfortunately, Iran didn’t know this, Mr Trump noted, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility.

He also promised that such an attack would not recur, unless “Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar.”

“In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” he said.

Iran’s govt intact, was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment – US head of Intel

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of the US National Intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that intelligence assessments have shown that Iran has not been rebuilding its nuclear enrichment capabilities since the US attack last year.

This statement undermines Mr Trump’s key justifications for the ongoing war.

“As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme was obliterated. There have been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” she said in the written testimony.

She noted that Iran’s government has been degraded due to the assassination of its leaders, but it appears to be intact.

According to her, Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking US and allies’ interests in the Middle East.

“The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury,” she said.

Iran’s Araghchi slams Macron

France’s Emmanuel Macron drew the ire of Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, with his comment on the attacks on energy facilities.

In a post on X, Mr Macron called for a moratorium on attacks on energy and water infrastructure.

In response to this, Mr Araghchi said, “Macron has not uttered one word of condemnation of the Israel-US war on Iran.

“He did not condemn Israel when it blew up fuel storage in Tehran, exposing millions to toxins.

“His current ‘concern’ didn’t follow Israel’s attack on our gas facilities. It follows our retaliation. Sad!”

Three Palestinians killed by an Iranian strike

Meanwhile, three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack in the occupied West Bank late on ‌Wednesday.

This is the first such incident since the start of the war.

Reuters reports that the missile struck a hair salon in the town of Beit Awwa, southwest of Hebron.

Thirteen other Palestinians were wounded in the attack, adding to the war’s casualties.

In Iran, at least 1,500 people have been killed and 18,551 injured. Lebanon has reported 850 deaths, and more than 2,100 people injured. At least 15 Israelis have been killed so far, and 3,369 others have been injured.

US aircraft carrier withdrawn for repairs

The US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, which was damaged during the ongoing war, is sailing back to a US base in Crete, Greece, for repairs, CNN reports.

CNN reports that the aircraft carrier is leaving the front line, even though the war is still in full swing.

American authorities claim the damage was not caused by external factors, but Iran had announced that its missiles disabled the ship, causing the need for repairs.

Two American sailors were injured on the ship