Iran effectively declared Gulf energy corridors war zones on Wednesday after Israel attacked the South Pars gasfield for the first time, with the Revolutionary Guards naming specific facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar as targets for imminent strikes. Evacuation orders were issued alongside the target list. Oil prices surged toward $110 a barrel as the designation of energy corridors as active war zones raised fears of a catastrophic global supply disruption.

The South Pars gasfield holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves and is shared between Iran and Qatar. The Israeli strike — reportedly with US authorization — was the first direct attack on Iranian fossil fuel production in the conflict. Both Washington and Tel Aviv had previously treated Iranian energy assets as off-limits, but that restraint was now gone — and Iran’s response named the specific corridors and facilities it intended to strike.

Iran’s state media identified Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed and Ras Laffan facilities as imminent targets. All workers and residents were told to leave immediately. Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar condemned the US-Israeli attack as “political suicide” and declared the conflict had entered a full-scale economic war phase.

Oil climbed to $108.60 per barrel — a nearly 5% gain — while European gas prices surged more than 7.5% to above €55.50 per megawatt hour. Gulf oil exports had already fallen 60% from pre-war levels due to sustained infrastructure attacks and Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade. Iran had continued to export its own crude through the strait unimpeded while blocking Gulf neighbors’ exports. The declaration of Gulf energy corridors as war zones raised the prospect of a complete collapse in regional energy export capacity.

Qatar’s government spokesperson warned that targeting energy infrastructure endangered global energy security and regional welfare. The world had entered a moment where the Gulf’s energy corridors — the pipelines, refineries, and port facilities that powered the global economy — were no longer safe from military action. With Iran’s threats specific, public, and time-bound, the consequences of the coming hours could be felt for years.