Iran attacks Qatar's Ras Laffan energy hub for second time in 12 hours
Qatar says attack led to no casualties (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Iran attacked Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City — the country's key energy hub and the world's largest liquefied natural gas center — with missiles twice in less than 12 hours, CNN reported on March 19.
The first strike caused mass damage, and, following the second bombardment on the morning of March 19, significant fires broke out at the facility, with further serious destruction recorded, according to QatarEnergy.
Qatari emergency services worked to deal with the attack aftermath.
Qatar said there were no casualties following either strike. At the same time, the attack on Ras Laffan marks one of the most serious escalations in the region, as this hub is the backbone of the Qatari economy and is critically important to the global LNG market.
Qatar declared the military and security attachés of the Iranian embassy, as well as their staff, personae non gratae following the strike on the industrial city.
Israel and the U.S. announced attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, in operations dubbed Lion's Roar (Israel) and Epic Fury (U.S.).
The Israel Defense Forces later confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a strike that completely destroyed his residence on the morning of Feb. 28.
In response to the assassination, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel. Iranian missiles and drones also attacked U.S. military bases in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
Europe received 7% of all its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from Qatar in 2025, according to the Kpler analytical platform.
QatarEnergy officially confirmed the suspension of LNG and related product production at its complexes in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed on March 2.
QatarEnergy reportedly shipped 80.97 million tons of LNG in 2025, with a production capacity of up to 142 million tons per year. As of traders' estimates, the company supplies 90-95% of its gas under long-term contracts and 5-10% on the spot market. Global energy giants ExxonMobil, Shell, TotalEnergies, Eni, and Conoco are the largest investors in QatarEnergy.
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