Iran has mixed the energy “cards”. Why is Trump trying to weaken the wall?

Although Iran continues to mourn the death of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Security Council, which some analysts predicted as the tipping point to turn the war against Iran in favor of Israel and the United States, Iran’s latest strikes on one of the world’s largest oil and gas complexes in Qatar appear to pose a serious challenge to the West.

Hours ago, Iran delivered another blow to the countries of the Persian Gulf. One of the world’s largest oil and gas complexes, located in the Ras Laffan industrial zone, was targeted by ballistic missiles in Qatar. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense of Qatar on the night of Thursday, March 19. According to the state oil and gas company QatarEnergy, the facility was attacked twice within 12 hours.

However, hours before this strike by Iran, Israel had struck the world’s largest “South Pars” gas field, which the Islamic Republic shares with Qatar. Majid al-Ansari, the official representative of the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that the facilities related to the Iranian mine “South Pars” are Qatari “North Field” mine the continuation and the Israeli strikes against them are a dangerous and irresponsible step against the background of the ongoing military escalation in the region.

“Attacks on energy infrastructure pose a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples and environment of the region,” he warned.

Iran’s President Masoud PezeshkianIsrael warned after this strike that it would lead to “uncontrollable consequences”. Tehran has threatened to attack the fuel, energy and gas infrastructure facilities of the states from whose territory, according to Iran’s version, the strikes were carried out. Due to the world’s largest field, Iran meets around 70 percent of domestic gas demand. International media reports that the Iranian attack on Qatar has shaken the global oil flows, and the fuel price hike has already become a heavy burden for households around the world. People in the US and Europe have been facing it for the past two and a half years at the highest prices at filling stations. It is also noted that gas prices have increased by 30%.

And perhaps not by chance today US President Donald Trump stated that the US was not aware of the preparations for an Israeli attack on the South Pars mine. On his Truth Social page, Donald Trump wrote:

“Israel, outraged by the events in the Middle East, attacked Iran’s “South Pars” gas field. The attack took place only in a limited area, and the United States was not aware of its preparation, and Qatar had nothing to do with the incident and did not suspect it.

Israel will no longer attack this extremely important and valuable South Persian mine, unless Iran takes a foolish step and attacks a completely innocent country, in this case, Qatar.

In that case, the USA, with or without the help of Israel and its consent, will carry out a massive explosion in the entire “South Pars” gas field with such a power that Iran has not yet seen.

I am reluctant to condone such levels of violence and destruction because of the long-term consequences for Iran’s future, but if there is another attack on Qatar’s liquefied natural gas, I will take action without hesitation.”

Russian analyst Konstantin Simonov 168.amtold that the latest Iranian strikes on Qatar, which were planned, with a clear purpose and served that purpose, are a big problem for the European energy market, which is already in shock due to the war developments against Iran, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to him, the statement of the US president was aimed at easing the tension that was created after these mutual strikes, because the continuation of such strikes could deepen the crisis.

“Therefore, Trump, although threatening, tried to mitigate the created difficult situation, to which the European leaders are already reacting and complain that they should not stay away from these events, because their consequences affect the stability of Europe,” said Simonov.

According to him, analysts mean exactly such events when they talk about the fact that the US did not calculate the consequences of the war against Iran.

“However, there was no clear picture of the calculations, and the developments prove it,” he noted.

According to Simonov, the increase in oil and gas prices in the world market (due to both geopolitical tensions and supply constraints) can be a challenge for importing economies like Armenia, but not directly, since Armenia imports natural gas from Russia with relatively stable contractual mechanisms. This is where, according to him, Russia as a partner is important for Armenia.

“Over time, high global prices turn into negotiation pressure, leading to an increase in the price of imported gas, which has a chain effect on almost all sectors of the economy. The increase in the price of gas is immediately reflected in the price of electricity, so the risk of this chain effect is always present in such situations. However, the situation is not clear-cut.

High energy prices can have a positive impact on the Russian economy. However, if we talk about Armenia, the increase in global oil and gas prices is a systemic challenge for Armenia, affecting both social and economic stability,” said Simonov.

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