War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Iranian attacks have knocked out 17 percent of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy’s CEO told Reuters on Thursday. Saad al-Kaabi said two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in the unprecedented strikes. The repairs will sideline 12.8 million tons per year of LNG for three to five years, he said. – Iran attack wipes out 17 pct of Qatar’s LNG capacity for up to five years: QatarEnergy CEO
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Israel’s attack on an Iranian gas field on Wednesday was coordinated with the United States but will likely not be repeated, three Israeli officials said on Thursday, despite US President Donald Trump saying he knew nothing about it. The attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field drew an Iranian aerial assault on energy infrastructure in Qatar and across the Middle East, marking the biggest escalation in the nearly three-week US-Israeli war on Iran. – Despite Trump comments, Israeli officials say US knew of Iran gas field strike
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday during a hearing in front of the House intelligence committee that the American and Israeli objectives during the military campaign in Iran are not the same. – US and Israeli war aims in Iran are not the same, Gabbard says
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said Thursday they were ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”. “We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning” the grouping – which also includes Italy and the Netherlands – said in a joint statement, as they condemned “in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf”. The declaration came as an effective Iranian blockade of the strait has paralyzed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it. – Six nations say ready to help ‘efforts to ensure safe passage’ through Hormuz Strait
(AFP/Al Arabiya) China’s foreign minister told his British counterpart on Thursday that the two countries had a responsibility to maintain international peace and security, and renewed calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Beijing is a partner of Iran, which has been targeted by US-Israeli attacks since last month, but has also criticized Tehran’s strikes against Gulf states housing US military bases. – China, UK have responsibility to maintain peace: Beijing FM
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) A senior Russian official called on Thursday for the creation of a safety zone around Iran’s Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant to prevent a major disaster, two days after a projectile struck within several hundred meters of its reactor. Alexei Likhachev, head of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said there were 72 tons of fissile material and 210 tons of spent nuclear fuel at the site, and that any strike on it could lead to a catastrophe. – Russia calls for ‘safety island’ around Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Washington might “unsanction” Iranian oil that is already being shipped, as energy prices soar due to the war in the Middle East. Bessent’s comments to Fox Business came as oil and gas prices made a renewed surge after Iran hit the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar and threatened to destroy the region’s energy infrastructure. – Treasury chief says US may ‘unsanction’ Iran oil already being shipped
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran’s military renewed threats on Thursday to destroy the region’s energy infrastructure were its facilities to be attacked again during the US-Israel war with the Islamic Republic. – Iran again threatens to destroy region’s energy facilities if own attacked
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there is no “time frame” for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago. “We wouldn’t want to set a definitive time frame,” Hegseth told a news conference, adding that “we’re very much on track” and that President Donald Trump will be the one to decide when to stop. “It will be at the president’s choosing, ultimately, where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve achieved what we need to.’” – No ‘definitive time frame’ for ending Iran war, Pentagon chief says
(Paul Adams – CNN) US President Donald Trump has issued a typically strongly worded statement in the wake of attacks on a major gas field shared by Iran and Qatar on Wednesday. Israel hit Iran’s South Pars – part of the world’s largest natural gas field – and Tehran retaliated by striking an energy complex in Qatar. The attacks led to a spike in energy prices, and fuelled Trump’s wrath. On his Truth Social media platform, Trump threatened Iran again and said he didn’t know about Israel’s plans for the attack. So what does the language used by the US president tell us about the course of the war and the extent to which the US and Israel are aligned on its strategy and goals? – Are US and Israel in lockstep in Iran war? Deciphering Trump’s post after gas field attacks
China/Taiwan
(AFP/Al Arabiya) China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 but seeks to take control of the self-ruled island without force, said an annual US intelligence report, which drew ire from Beijing on Thursday. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize the island, stepping up military pressure and drills in recent years. The intelligence community “assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification,” said its Annual Threat Assessment report on Wednesday. – China does not plan to invade Taiwan in 2027: US intel report
