Iran stepped up its attacks on Gulf countries on Thursday amid a standoff with the US as Tehran launched an early morning missile attack on Qatar’s key energy infrastructure, sending shockwaves around the world.
Early Thursday morning, Iran shocked the world and rattled already suffering global energy markets when it launched a missile attack on Ras Laffan, a key Qatari complex that houses the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant.
Qatar Energy confirmed the attack on the industrial city of Ras Laffan, an area that is home to the world’s largest LNG facilities and the Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant.
“In addition to the previous attack on the industrial city of Ras Laffan on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, which caused extensive damage to the Pearl GTL facility, QatarEnergy confirms that several LNG facilities were also targeted on Thursday, March 19, 2026,” the country’s largest energy company said in a post on X.
Qatar strongly condemned the attack, saying it was a “flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to global energy security, navigation and the environment”.
Iran’s attack on the industrial city of Ras Laffan is likely to worsen the global energy issue amid the US-Iranian conflict, which has already shaken industry to its core.
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Everything you need to know about the industrial city of Ras Laffan
The industrial city of Ras Laffan was home to Pearl GTL, an LNG plant that accounted for about a fifth of global supply. Its production was halted earlier this month amid the US-Iran conflict.
The area was hit by four Iranian missiles before the fifth successfully hit and caused extensive damage.
A subsequent attack on Ras Laffan on Thursday soon led to a fire, which Qatari authorities say is being dealt with. QatarEnergy said in a statement that several of its LNG facilities were hit, causing extensive fires and extensive other damage.
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The Qatar Industrial Center is Qatar’s main location for the production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquids. It houses key facilities including the ORYX GTL and Pearl GTL plants, the QatarEnergy LNG and Dolphin gas processing plants, the Laffan refinery and the Ras Laffan A, B and C integrated hydro and power plants.
The industrial city of Ras Laffan is located 80 kilometers north of Doha and is managed by the state-owned Qatar Energy. Ras Laffan Post, which has an enclosed water area of approximately 4,500 hectares, is the largest man-made port in the world and is home to the largest LNG export facility in the world.
The industrial city of Ras Laffan covers an area of 295 square kilometers (114 sq mi), about a third the size of New York City.
In addition to LNG processing, the industrial hub also houses other gas-related facilities, including a gas processing plant, LNG storage and condensate splitters, as well as an oil refinery.
How Ras Laffan Industrial City Attack Affects India
The “extensive damage” caused by Iran’s attack on the industrial city of Ras Laffan could spell disaster for South Asian countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. According to a CNN analysis, these countries may be bracing for power outages and factory slowdowns as the bulk of LNG imports flow through the industrial city of Ras Laffan.
India imports about 40% of its LNG from Qatar, data from market research firm S&P Global showed. According to Kpler, the impending supply shock could lead to power outages and a reduction in the supply of industrial gas.
