Amid the Middle East conflict, all of the world’s major energy hubs have now become targets of Iranian missiles, according to Iran’s WANA news agency. The United States knows well that the strategic oil and gas infrastructure in its Arab allies and in Israel is within reach of Iran’s precise and destructive missiles, the report said.
During the 40-day war, when Iran’s South Pars field was attacked, Tehran struck Qatar’s main gas refinery, the report said. After the incident, US President Donald Trump quickly expressed regret in a tweet, writing, “This will not happen again.” But with tensions rising afresh, a situation has now arisen that could paralyse the global energy market.
Iran’s WANA news agency said on Saturday (1 August) that Iran’s eyes are now on several highly sensitive strategic supply routes — targets which, if struck, could bring the global economy to a standstill. According to WANA, Saudi Arabia’s main oil base, the Ghawar oil field, controls more than 5 percent of global oil supply, while the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities process 7 million barrels of oil a day. Damage to Abqaiq, the report said, would mean global supply, petrochemicals and drinking-water treatment systems being completely paralysed.
According to the report, the United Arab Emirates’ Zakum offshore oil field exports more than 1 million barrels of crude a day, linked to the Ruwais refinery. Qatar’s North Dome gas field holds 25 percent of the world’s gas reserves, and 20 percent of the world’s total liquefied natural gas (LNG) is supplied from the country’s Ras Laffan.
The report said that blockading Kuwait’s Burgan oil field would halt 2 million barrels of daily production, while Bahrain’s Sitra refinery and Al-Mamir facility are in extremely vulnerable positions.
Even Israel’s main energy sources, the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, are now directly in the sights of Iranian missiles, according to the report. It said the precise targeting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force has the capability to paralyse energy production across the Middle East, leaving global energy security centred on the Strait of Hormuz in grave jeopardy. The claims could not be independently verified.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report