Iran issued unprecedented threats against the energy infrastructure of its Gulf neighbors on Wednesday, following a first-of-its-kind Israeli strike on the South Pars gasfield. The Revolutionary Guards declared that facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar would be hit “in the coming hours” and instructed workers and residents to evacuate. The announcement sent oil prices surging toward $110 a barrel and added a new and terrifying dimension to the conflict.

The South Pars gasfield is shared between Iran and Qatar and holds the world’s largest known natural gas reserves. Its targeting by Israel — with reported US approval — was the first direct attack on Iranian fossil fuel production since the start of the war. The move broke a carefully observed boundary, and Iran’s response made clear that it would not absorb the blow quietly.

Iran’s state media named specific targets: Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail complex, the UAE’s al-Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Mesaieed complex and Ras Laffan refinery. Evacuation orders were broadcast directly and publicly. Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar declared the conflict had entered a “full-scale economic war” phase and condemned the US-Israeli action as a catastrophic strategic error.

Oil markets reacted sharply, with Brent crude rising nearly 5% to $108.60 a barrel. European natural gas benchmarks rose more than 7.5% to over €55.50 per megawatt hour. The moves compounded an already severe global energy supply shock: Gulf oil exports had fallen 60% from pre-war levels, Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade remained in effect, and the third week of war had opened with Iranian attacks on UAE and Iraqi energy assets.

Qatar’s government spokesperson called on all parties to protect energy infrastructure, warning that any attack would threaten global energy security. The world’s attention now focused on whether Iran’s threats would be carried out, and what the consequences would be for a global energy market already stretched to breaking point. The conflict’s energy dimension had reached a level of danger not seen since the Gulf Wars of the previous century.