In the three weeks since the United States invaded Iran, tensions and gas prices have spiked.
On Wednesday, March 18, airstrikes from Israel hit the infrastructure of the South Pars offshore gas field, which is shared by Iran and Qatar. These were significant attacks on energy sites, with Iraq reporting a loss of a large part of its electric power supply.
Oil prices spiked following the attack as well, with international oil prices settling above $107 a barrel, their highest since the war began. The New York Times reports that Iran produced 260 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
President Trump took to social media following the attack, assuring that the U.S. had no knowledge of the attack and saying Israel had “violently lashed out.” However, three Israeli officials told The New York Times that the United States was informed before the attack.
“It will be over with pretty soon,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, March 19. Despite this, the Pentagon has recently asked for an additional $200 million to fund the war, a request that must be reviewed by the White House before being submitted to Congress. That is equal to nearly a quarter of the entire annual U.S. defense budget. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth has also contradicted the president, suggesting that the U.S. military is preparing for a long campaign.
Other Gulf countries have been pulled into the struggle. Early Tuesday, March 17, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence reported intercepting a missile attack. Then, the next day, the Kuwait National Guard reported shooting down an unmanned aircraft. Al Jazeera reports similar cases coming from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. NBC News adds Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Syria and Turkey to the list.
While some of the attacks have been from Israel, a majority are being affected by Iran’s retaliation. Iran issued executive orders following the South Pars strikes to target energy assets in neighboring countries. The world’s largest liquefied natural gas terminal in Qatar was hit in these retaliatory strikes.
In an interview with the New York Times, a businessman from Tehran said, “Soon we will be like Gaza. We won’t have electricity, or heat or food.” The United Nations ambassador for Iran reported an estimated 1,348 civilian deaths in Iran. According to the Lebanese government, the war has killed over 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million people in Lebanon. The American death toll stands at 13.
