The name is little known outside energy circles, but the South Pars offshore field in Iran has become the center of a global crisis in just a few hours. The Israeli attack on Wednesday 18 March against part of the infrastructure marks a qualitative leap in the conflict in the Middle East: for the first time one of the pillars of the world’s energy supply is directly hit.
Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, and Iran hit Qatar’s Ras Laffan in response — sending oil near $110.
What does this escalation mean, and could it worsen the energy shock?
MEE spoke to energy analyst Bachar el-Halabi for insight pic.twitter.com/kfTRrQ6JHi
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 18, 2026
South Pars is a real, physical hub, on which a significant share of natural gas production depends. And when infrastructure like this is affected, the consequences extend far beyond regional borders.
A shared deposit that supports global balances
South Pars extends into the Persian Gulf and is shared between Iran and Qatar, which calls its part the North Dome. It is considered the largest natural gas field in the world, with reserves capable of influencing the global market for years.
For Tehran it is the main internal energy source: it powers power plants and home heating. For Doha it is the basis of an industrial system that makes the country one of the main exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), directed mainly towards Europe and Asia. Hitting this field therefore means intervening on one of the main arteries of global energy.
The Iranian response and the domino effect
The Israeli move was followed by an immediate reaction. Iran has struck several energy infrastructure in the region, including the large Ras Laffan hub in Qatar, where North Dome gas is processed. Attacks also affected sites in Saudi Arabia. The result is a chain crisis: slowed down plants, industrial damage, operational interruptions. In parallel, the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key passage for the transport of oil and gas – is preventing supplies from reaching the markets on schedule.
Prices rising and markets under pressure
The consequences were not long in coming: oil and natural gas prices shot up, with significant increases also in Europe. When energy infrastructures become targets, the entire system becomes unstable. Analysts speak of possible prolonged disruptions to LNG supplies, with effects that could last weeks or months. A serious problem for countries that depend on imports, especially after the energy crisis of recent years.
Energy in the crosshairs of war
The element that is most worrying is the change in strategy. Energy infrastructures have become direct war targets. Hitting them means compromising the economy of a country, and therefore the daily lives of citizens. The increasingly harsh statements from the United States also fit into this context, with the threat to further strike South Pars in the event of new Iranian attacks. An escalation that increases uncertainty and makes the system even more fragile.
A lesson also for Europe
What happens in the Gulf doesn’t stay in the Gulf. Europe, which imports a growing share of liquefied natural gas, is directly exposed to shocks in this region. Each outage results in higher bills and more instability. The South Pars crisis highlights an often overlooked point: dependence on a few large fossil hubs makes the system vulnerable. And it accelerates, at least on paper, the need to diversify and invest in renewable sources. That’s because when energy becomes a target, it becomes a global security issue.
