Tehran intensifies attacks on Gulf energy facilities after Israel hits Iranian gas field

Kuwait says a drone attack targeting an oil refinery sparked a fire 1 of 7 | The Strait of Hormuz is a small strip of water connecting the Persian Gulf to the world’s oceans. On a typical day, ships carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil sail out of the Gulf through the narrow passageway, but the war with Iran means it’s effectively closed, hemming in more than 90% of that crude and refined products. AP’s Philip Crowther explains more. 2 of 7 | In renewed fighting with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israel has concentrated most strikes where the group has a strong presence in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs. But several attacks early Wednesday hit city center neighborhoods, some without warning. 3 of 7 | Israeli authorities hang Israeli and U.S. flags at the site struck by an Iranian missile that killed two people, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) 4 of 7 | Smoke and flame rise from a residential building following an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) 5 of 7 | Ali Larijani, center, head of Iran’s National Security Council, gestures as Hezbollah supporters throw rice to welcome him outside Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) 6 of 7 | Commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, gives a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File) 7 of 7 | Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib attends the inauguration ceremony of the 6th term of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran, Iran, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File) 1 of 7 The Strait of Hormuz is a small strip of water connecting the Persian Gulf to the world’s oceans. On a typical day, ships carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil sail out of the Gulf through the narrow passageway, but the war with Iran means it’s effectively closed, hemming in more than 90% of that crude and refined products. AP’s Philip Crowther explains more. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 7 In renewed fighting with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israel has concentrated most strikes where the group has a strong presence in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs. But several attacks early Wednesday hit city center neighborhoods, some without warning. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 7 Israeli authorities hang Israeli and U.S. flags at the site struck by an Iranian missile that killed two people, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 7 Smoke and flame rise from a residential building following an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 7 Ali Larijani, center, head of Iran’s National Security Council, gestures as Hezbollah supporters throw rice to welcome him outside Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 7 Commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, gives a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 7 Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib attends the inauguration ceremony of the 6th term of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran, Iran, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait said Thursday a drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the small, oil-rich nation.The state-run KUNA news agency cited the Kuwait Petroleum Corp. for the announcement. It said the drone attack sparked a fire at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery but caused no injuries. The refinery is one of the biggest in the Middle East, with a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels per day.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran intensified its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors’ energy infrastructure Thursday, setting Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities ablaze as it hit back following an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring. A ship burned off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and another was damaged off of Qatar, underscoring the ever-present danger facing vessels due to Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said firefighters had put out a blaze at a major LNG facility after it had been hit by Iranian missile attacks. Production had already been halted there after earlier attacks but it said the latest wave of missiles caused “sizeable fires and extensive further damage.” Damage to the facility could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market even after the Iran war ends.Authorities in Abu Dhabi said the country had been forced to shut down operations at its Habshan gas facility and Bab field, calling Iranian overnight attacks on the sites a “dangerous escalation” of the war. Gulf states condemn Iranian attacks on energy infrastructureMissile alert sirens sounded in multiple other areas around the Gulf, and Israel warned of incoming Iranian fire. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all denounced the Iranian attacks, with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat saying assaults on the kingdom meant “what little trust there was before has completely been shattered.”In morning trading, Brent crude oil, the international standard, was above $110 a barrel, up more than 50% since Israel and the United States started the war Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran. Iran strikes back after Israel hits critical gas fieldThe wave of Iranian attacks came after Israel hit South Pars, the world’s largest gas field located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly by Iran and Qatar. With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the country’s electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.Hitting the gas field is a “clear expansion of the conflict,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note. “Israel’s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure ...” the think tank said. “It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.” Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.” In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again, but warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,” Trump said on social media. Energy infrastructure targeted around Gulf regionQatar Energy said on X that it was a missile hit on its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility that caused the blaze early Thursday.A ship was also hit off the country’s coast, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. It was not clear whether it was deliberately targeted of was struck by falling debris as Qatar fired off missile interceptors at incoming Iranian barrages. Saudi Arabia also reported downing Iranian drones targeting its natural gas facilities overnight, and authorities in Abu Dhabi said it had been forced to shut down its Habshan gas facility and Bab field after interceptions over the sites.Another ship was set ablaze early Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. It was also unclear whether it was targeted or hit with debris, the UKMTO said.It said the vessel was just off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is normally shipped. More than 20 vessels have been attacked during the Iran war so far as Tehran has kept a tight grip on shipping traffic through the waterway, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Iran insists the waterway is open, just not to the U.S. or its allies, and while some vessels have sailed through, it has only been a trickle. Iran executes 3 men detained during January protestsIran announced the execution of three men detained in January’s nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported. The men were accused of stabbing two police officers to death in Qom, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, during the protests.Iran put down the demonstrations with intense violence that killed thousands of people and saw tens of thousands others detained, and activists have warned that authorities might carry out mass executions of those detained.Iran long has been accused by rights campaigners of extracting coerced confessions from detainees and not allowing them to fully defend themselves in court.Death toll climbs in third week of warMore than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. Israeli strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says 968 people have been killed.In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire, including a Thai agricultural worker who died overnight after getting hit with shrapnel. Three people were also killed in the occupied West Bank overnight by an Iranian missile strike, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.___Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Rising from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report. Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. Rising covers regional Asia-Pacific stories for The Associated Press. He has worked around the world, including covering the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and was based for nearly 20 years in Berlin before moving to Bangkok. Metz covers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and points beyond for The Associated Press.