South Pars gas field

Iran warned on Wednesday that energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf could be targeted in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its massive South Pars gas field, escalating tensions amid an expanding regional conflict and shaking world energy markets, according to Bloomberg News.

Facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were designated as "legitimate targets" in response to the attack, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.

A separate report by Iran's Fars news agency stated that attacks on Iran's energy assets "would not go unanswered."

The warning came shortly after Israel launched an airstrike on the South Pars oilfield, one of the world's largest natural gas reserves, jointly owned by Iran and Qatar. An Israeli official confirmed the operation on condition of anonymity.

Qatar, which jointly owns the South Pars gas field with Iran, condemned the airstrike, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari criticizing it as a "dangerous and irresponsible act" in a statement posted on social media.

The global oil market reacted immediately. Brent crude prices surpassed $108 a barrel following Iran's threat, continuing a rally that has seen prices climb nearly 50% since the war began on February 28 with the launch of a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.

As the conflict deepens, energy production across the region is already facing disruptions, particularly around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil shipments. Some regional oil producers have reduced output amid growing security concerns.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated calls for US allies to play a greater role in securing the strait, criticizing a lack of international support.

Meanwhile, Iran launched new missile and drone attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and also struck Tel Aviv, killing two people, authorities announced. The concentrated assaults followed Tehran's confirmation of the assassination of a top security official, Ali Larijani.

Iran's military leadership vowed retaliation for the deaths of Larijani, as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force.

Israeli officials stated that Iran's intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, was eliminated in a targeted strike in Tehran.

Additionally, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that Hassan Ali Marwan, commander of the 'Imam Hussein Division,' was eliminated "a week after his predecessor was eliminated." Marwan was known to have orchestrated missile, drone, and rocket launches targeting Israel.

The United States is intensifying its military operations, confirming late Tuesday that it dropped a 5,000-pound bunker-buster warhead on an Iranian missile base near the Strait of Hormuz. The airstrike was part of broader efforts to resume commercial shipping traffic.

Despite these strikes, Iran appears to have maintained a significant portion of its oil export activity. Shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz are close to pre-war levels, and crude oil loadings from the Kharg Island, one of Iran's main export terminals, continue without significant disruption.

NNP=Sung Ku Hong, Editor-in-Chief / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com