The shutdown at Ras Laffan rippled through energy markets as fighting widened across the Gulf.
DOHA, QATAR — Qatar said Monday its air force shot down two Iranian Su-24 aircraft headed toward the country, as strikes tied to the Iran conflict hit key gas facilities and pushed the world’s top liquefied natural gas exporter to halt production at its Ras Laffan industrial hub.
The rare aerial clash and the production stoppage jolted global markets because Qatar’s LNG output equals roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply. The halt also raised immediate questions about how long shipments could be delayed and whether the widening attacks would further disrupt energy infrastructure and shipping routes across the Gulf.
Qatar’s defense ministry said the Qatar Emiri Air Force shot down two Su-24 aircraft “coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran” and also intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones that targeted several areas in the country. The ministry did not say what happened to the pilots. The announcement came after the ministry said an Iranian drone targeted an energy facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City, about 50 miles north of Doha, and another targeted a water tank linked to a power plant in Mesaieed, about 25 miles south of the capital. “There were no reports of casualties,” the ministry said.
State-owned QatarEnergy said it halted LNG production after attacks struck major processing facilities tied to its onshore operations. Ras Laffan is the center of Qatar’s LNG system, housing the massive gas trains that cool natural gas into liquid form for export. In addition to Ras Laffan, drones hit the Mesaieed industrial zone, home to petrochemical and manufacturing facilities. Traders and analysts said the outage and the security threat to Gulf shipping immediately tightened the LNG market, which depends on steady flows from a handful of major exporters.
Energy prices surged as the interruption spread beyond Qatar. European natural gas benchmarks jumped sharply, reflecting fears that fewer LNG cargoes would reach buyers in the coming days. Oil prices also spiked as conflict in the region slowed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that handles a major share of global energy flows. The market moves echoed earlier crises in which geopolitical shocks quickly translated into higher fuel costs, but traders said the scale of Qatar’s role in LNG made the risk unusually acute for both Asia and Europe.
Qatar’s LNG export machine is built for volume and reliability, which is why even a short stoppage can move prices worldwide. QatarEnergy shipped about 81 million metric tons of LNG in 2025, and the country has been working on a major expansion to lift capacity to 142 million tons per year by 2030 from about 77 million tons now. Most of its customers are in Asia, including China, Japan, India, South Korea and Pakistan, and traders estimate about 90% to 95% of Qatar’s gas is sold under long-term contracts, with a smaller share traded on the spot market. Even so, long-term contracts do not prevent disruptions when facilities are hit or shipping lanes become unsafe, leaving buyers and sellers to renegotiate delivery schedules and volumes.
The confrontation also sharpened the stakes for Gulf states that have tried to limit direct military confrontation while protecting critical infrastructure. Qatar said the Su-24 shootdowns marked a major escalation because they involved manned aircraft rather than drones alone. Regional analysts said the expanding target list—gas trains, refineries and industrial sites—raises the risk that countries hosting or operating major energy facilities could be pulled deeper into the conflict as they defend airspace and production hubs. The latest developments followed several days of strikes and counterstrikes tied to U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, with Tehran widening its response toward Gulf energy assets.
The shockwaves were felt across the region’s broader energy network. Saudi Arabia reported a drone attack tied to the conflict that led to shutdowns at key facilities, and Israeli offshore gas output was also curtailed as operators suspended production. In northern Iraq, major producers halted output as a precaution despite no immediate damage being reported. Together, the stoppages underscored how quickly energy supply can be affected when conflict spreads across multiple countries, even when some shutdowns are taken preemptively rather than forced by direct damage.
Qatar’s next moves will be closely watched by buyers, shipping firms and governments that rely on steady LNG deliveries. QatarEnergy was expected to declare force majeure on LNG shipments, a step that can allow a supplier to pause deliveries because of events beyond its control. Such declarations often trigger urgent talks over replacement cargoes, revised delivery windows and contractual remedies. Officials have not given a timeline for restarting production at Ras Laffan, and it remained unclear Monday how quickly operations could resume if the security situation stabilizes.
By late Monday, the government’s focus was on air defenses, facility security and the safety of key industrial zones as global energy markets reacted. The status of LNG exports and the pace of any restart are expected to hinge on whether further drone and missile attacks can be prevented and whether shipping through the Gulf remains viable in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated March 2, 2026.