Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gasfield, the largest natural gasfield in the world, was seemingly done without US consent. Iran only needs one guy with a rocket launcher standing on the shore to make the Strait of Hormuz inoperable. With the skies controlled by Israel and the US, weaponising energy by blocking tanker traffic and attacking energy infrastructure in the region was Tehran’s only play: economic warfare to combat conventional warfare. Iran’s Shahed drones cost $20,000-$30,000 to make, while the US F-16 jet missiles used to intercept them cost $400,000. Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gasfield, the largest natural gasfield in the world, seemingly done without US consent, and Iran’s retaliatory strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex mark a worrying escalation.

Source: The Irish Times March 20, 2026 10:37 UTC