Flames Near Hormuz: U.S. Oil Tanker Engulfed in Fire After Mysterious Attack Off UAE Coast

Iran Strikes World’s Largest LNG Facility in Qatar Iranian forces have launched an attack on the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Qatar, causing widespread damage and prompting Doha to condemn the incident as a “brutal assault.” State-owned QatarEnergy confirmed on Tuesday that Iranian missiles struck the Ras Laffan facility, located about 80 kilometers north of Doha. The site is widely regarded as the largest LNG production complex in the world. An AFP correspondent reported that massive flames from the complex lit up the night sky and were visible from as far as 30 kilometers away. QatarEnergy said emergency response teams were “immediately deployed to contain the blaze,” adding that the situation has since been brought under control. However, the company acknowledged the attack caused “extensive damage.” Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Ras Laffan. Black smoke rises over Doha, Qatar, on March 1, reportedly following an Iranian strike on an industrial area (Photo: AFP). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it called “Iran’s brutal attack on Ras Laffan,” describing it as a “direct threat to national security.” The ministry later announced that Iranian military and security attachés, along with their staff, had been ordered to leave the country within 24 hours. The strike on Ras Laffan came just hours after Israel targeted Iran’s massive South Pars gas field, part of the world’s largest natural gas reserve shared between Iran and Qatar in the Gulf. Israeli media reported that the operation was carried out with U.S. approval, though neither country has officially claimed responsibility. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned of “uncontrollable consequences” following attacks on energy infrastructure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later threatened to destroy the oil and gas industries of neighboring Gulf states it considers aligned with U.S. interests if Iran’s own energy sector is targeted again. “We warn once again that you have made a grave mistake in attacking the Islamic Republic’s energy infrastructure, and retaliation is already underway,” the IRGC said in a statement. “If such actions are repeated, further strikes on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will continue until they are completely destroyed.” Location of the Ras Laffan industrial complex (Graphic: Oil and Gas Middle East). Iran also launched a wave of drones and missiles toward Gulf countries later the same evening. Loud explosions were reported in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, while officials in the United Arab Emirates said they had intercepted a missile threat. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said it intercepted four ballistic missiles on March 18, with debris falling near a refinery south of Riyadh. The Gulf region has been facing escalating fallout from Iranian retaliation following U.S.-Israeli strikes that began on February 28. “Targeting energy infrastructure poses a direct threat to global energy security,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, calling Iran’s actions a “dangerous escalation.”