Welcome to our live coverage of day 20 of the war in Iran, where US President Donald Trump has issued a daring threat to Iran, vowing to blow up the entirety of the world’s largest gas field, the South Pars, if attacks on Qatari LNG facilities repeat.
The warning comes after Iran fired missiles at Qatar’s largest gas field, Ras Laffan, in retaliation for an attack that targeted South Pars on Wednesday. Trump in a post on Truth Social, says Israel acted alone without US knowledge in the attack, but has promised they would not target the site again.
The attacks have sparked global outrage with Iran’s neighbours in the Gulf region condemning the strikes. Riyadh says the attacks on GCC energy facilities have shattered any hopes for normalcy after the war comes to an end.
The strikes on Qatari and Iranian gas fields have caused further spikes in an already rapidly worsening global energy price crisis. Brent crude shot up by roughly 5 per cent following the incidents, and now trades at roughly $108 a barrel.
Meanwhile US-Israeli attacks are continuing to pound Tehran, as Iran retaliates with its own strikes on Israel and the wider region. The death toll has spiked in all fronts of the war, now nearing 1,450 in Iran, 912 in Lebanon, 17 in Israel, 21 across the Gulf and 13 US troops.
Follow our live blog for the latest updates from our journalists in the region and worldwide.
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Global oil and natural gas prices soar
Global oil and natural gas prices soared Wednesday after Iran attacked a key natural gas facility in Qatar that can supply one-fifth of the world’s gas and two oil refineries in Kuwait.
The attacks raised fears that the global energy crisis trigged by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic would be longer and more extensive than feared, with lasting damage to oil and gas productions.
International benchmark Brent crude rose to near $114 per barrel, up from under $73 per barrel on the eve of the war.
The European TTF benchmark for natural gas prices traded 24% higher on Thursday.
Czech leader calls Israeli attack on gas field ‘incomprehensible’
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has called Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field, the largest in the world, “incomprehensible.”
“This move has been totally damaging the markets,” Babis said. “The price of gas is exploding and the price of oil as well.”
The Czech Republic is one of Israel’s biggest allies within the European Union.
Top Egyptian diplomat calls on Iran to halt attacks
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has urged Iran to end attacks in the region.
The comments came during a meeting of foreign ministers in Riyadh on Thursday, where Abdelatty and his regional and Arab counterparts expressed solidarity with countries impacted by Iran’s “threats.”
They condemned Iranian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Gulf nations, calling them “unjustifiable violations” that immediately need to stop.
Vienna says Europe will not be ‘blackmailed’ into Iran war
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said Europe will not be “blackmailed” into the US and Israel’s military campaign in Iran.
“Europe, and Austria as well, will not allow itself to be blackmailed,” he said on Thursday in Brussels, where EU leaders are gathering for a summit.
“Intervention in the Strait of Hormuz is not an option for Austria anyway.”
Stocker called for the stabilisation of the supply and prices of energy following the continuing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
China criticises Israel over attack authorisations
Beijing says it is shocked at reports that Israel authorised the killing of senior Iranian and Hezbollah figures without case-by-case approval, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
“We have been opposed to the use of force in international relations, and the killing of Iran’s national leaders and attacks on civilian targets are even more unacceptable,” spokesperson Lin Jian said.
China urges all parties involved to immediately cease military operations and prevent the regional conflict from spiralling out of control, he said.
Cathay Pacific suspends flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh through to April
Cathay Pacific says it is further suspending its flights to Dubai and the Saudi capital Riyadh until the end of April.
The Hong Kong-based airline attributed the suspensions to “the developing situation in the Middle East.”
It is one of several long-haul carriers outside the Middle East that have temporarily stopped serving the region due to the conflict.
Riyadh says drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery
Saudi Arabia said a drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea on Thursday.
The Saudi Defence Ministry announced the news, saying without elaborating that “damage assessment is underway.”
The strike comes as drones also hit two oil refineries in Kuwait. Overnight, Iranian attacks hit natural gas sites in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, spiking global energy prices.
The strikes are part of an Iranian retaliatory campaign over an Israeli attacks on Wednesday on its South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Qatar.
SAMREF is a joint venture between the kingdom’s oil giant Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil that processes more than 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian Light crude oil.
The attack on the Red Sea now reaches into Saudi Arabia’s assets there, where it has been trying to lift crude oil out to the global market via pipeline to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, which remains under Iranian attack.
South Pars gas crucial for Iran
Attacking Iran’s South Pars natural gas field, which it shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, threatens electricity supplies in the Islamic Republic.
Some 80% of all power generated in Iran comes from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency. It also is used to supply household heating and cooking across the country.
An attack from the US, following through on Trump’s promise to annihilate the field, could trigger catastrophic humanitarian crises in the republic.
Ship hit by a projectile off coast of Qatar
A projectile hit a ship off the coast of Qatar on Thursday morning, authorities said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported the incident off Ras Laffan, an important natural gas supply point which had been repeatedly hit by Iranian fire overnight.
The UKMTO said the ship’s crew was safe.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the vessel had been deliberately targeted or potentially struck by falling debris as Qatar fired off missile interceptors at incoming Iranian barrages.
Kuwait says drone attack targeting oil refinery sparked a fire
Kuwait said on Thursday that an Iranian 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.
Satellite images show damage to UAE air base
Satellite images show damage at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates after repeated Iranian attacks targeting the facility hosting American troops.
The images, taken by an Airbus Defence and Space’s Pléiades Neo satellite, show damage at one set of hangars to the northwest of the facility in Abu Dhabi.
Another hangar to the southeast of the facility appears shredded by fire, with an adjacent hangar sustaining roof damage.
It’s unclear what had been in the hangars.
Al Dhafra had hosted some 2,000 US troops and has served as a major base of operations for everything from armed drones to F-35 stealth fighters in recent years.
Iran’s foreign minister lashes out at Macron
Iran’s foreign minister lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday over his comments on Tehran attacking Qatar.
Macron wrote he spoke with US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s emir over Iran’s attack.
“It is in our common interest to implement, without delay, a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water supply facilities,” Macron wrote on X.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Macron’s comments “sad!”
“Macron has not uttered one word of condemnation of the Israel-US war on Iran,” Araghchi wrote on X. “He did not condemn Israel when it blew up fuel storage in Tehran, exposing millions to toxins. His current “concern” didn’t follow Israel’s attack on our gas facilities.”
Kuwait says second oil refinery ablaze after drone attack
Kuwait said a drone attack set a second oil refinery ablaze in the small, oil-rich nation on Thursday.
The blaze hit the Mina Abdullah refinery.
The nearby Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery earlier caught fire after a drone attack.
#KPC: one of operational units at Mina Abdullah Refinery, operated by #Kuwait National Petroleum Company (#KNPC), was targeted this morning by a drone resulting in a fire at the site.
Emergency & rapid response teams were immediately deployed to contain and control the fire in… pic.twitter.com/FyWj91dPyC— Kuwait News Agency – English Feed (@kuna_en) March 19, 2026
Saudi air defences destroy six drones
Saudi Arabia says its air defences intercepted and downed six drones in Riyadh and the Eastern Province on Thursday.
More details to follow.
Trump threatens to ‘blow up the entirety’ of the world’s largest gas field
US President Donald Trump has vowed to “blow up the entirety” of the world’s largest gas field, the South Pars, situated in Iran, if Tehran repeats attacks on Qatari LNG facilities.
On Wednesday, Iran targeted Doha’s largest Ras Laffan gas field in retaliation for an earlier attack on its South Pars.
Trump says Israel launched the attack on the gas field without US knowledge or involvement and has promised no further attacks from them on the site.
Read the full article:
Trump threatens to ‘entirely blow up’ Iran’s South Pars gas field
Trump has vowed to “blow up the entirety” of Iran’s South Pars gas field if Tehran moves to attack Qatari gas fields again. The warning comes after Iran, in re…
Additional sources • AP, AFP
