Middle East conflicts largely avoided energy facilities in the past. Not in this war

"I do not think there's precedent for this kind of regionwide conflict with facilities coming under attack from all kinds of methods, over a wide era, and all types of facilities at basically the same time. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have either spared energy infrastructure or limited damage to a particular country. That isn't the case in the current war with Iran."

"About a fifth of global liquified natural gas, or LNG, comes from Qatar. LNG is natural gas that's cooled to about -260 Fahrenheit and then transported around the world on ships. It's used for electricity, heating, and making petrochemicals like plastics. State-owned QatarEnergy shut down production following the strikes on the Ras Laffan LNG facility."

"It's likely that buyers in Asia and Europe won't be getting that Qatari LNG for weeks if not longer, says Antoine Halff, chief analyst at Kayrros, a climate and environmental analytics firm. And, like most energy companies in the Persian Gulf, the company cannot move cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz."

Drone and missile strikes have targeted major energy facilities across the Middle East, hitting refineries in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Qatar's Ras Laffan liquified natural gas export facility, the world's largest. Multiple countries have blamed Iran for the attacks, though Iran has accused Israel of striking Saudi Arabian facilities. This represents an unprecedented regionwide conflict affecting energy infrastructure simultaneously across multiple nations and facility types. Qatar's state-owned QatarEnergy has halted production and declared force majeure following the strikes. Approximately one-fifth of global liquified natural gas comes from Qatar, and disruptions could affect buyers in Asia and Europe for weeks or longer. Israel has also shut down some offshore natural gas production.

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