type: timeline_event
On March 18, 2026, the Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on processing facilities at Iran's South Pars gas field complex near Asaluyeh on the Persian Gulf coast — the world's largest natural gas reserve, containing approximately 70 percent of Iran's proven gas reserves and shared with Qatar's North Field. The strikes halted output at two major gas refineries processing an estimated 100 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, dealing a severe blow to Iran's domestic energy supply and its ability to generate electricity.
South Pars had long been considered one of Iran's most strategically sensitive assets, and its targeting represented a significant Israeli escalation beyond purely military targets. The processing facilities at Asaluyeh are the onshore hub for the massive offshore gas field, and their destruction cut off not only export revenue but also the feedstock for Iran's petrochemical industry and domestic heating and power generation — with direct consequences for the civilian population.
The strike immediately triggered Iranian retaliatory attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, most devastatingly on Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG facility later that same day. Iran's retaliation reflected a calculated strategy: by striking the shared South Pars/North Field complex, Israel had endangered assets that Iran and Qatar both depended on, and Iran's response targeting Qatari infrastructure was designed to ensure that the economic consequences of energy warfare were distributed across the region rather than borne by Iran alone.
The South Pars-Ras Laffan exchange marked the most destructive day for global energy infrastructure since the war began, with analysts estimating combined damage in the tens of billions of dollars and recovery timelines measured in years. The escalation into systematic targeting of each other's energy assets raised fears that the war was entering a phase of mutual economic destruction that would reshape global energy markets for a generation.