Iran Begins Attacking Neighboring Countries' Energy Facilities: Precise Targeting of U.S. Interests with Symbolic Strikes
One year ago, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the Shah oil and gas field, which was attacked by Iran yesterday. Source of the image: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
Iran continues to raise international oil prices and intensifies its attacks on oil and gas production facilities in neighboring countries, with its drones attacking oil and gas fields involving U.S. companies in the UAE and Iraq.
Bloomberg observer Javier Blas posted on the social media platform X:
"A new dangerous incident has occurred. Iran has successfully struck oil and gas production facilities (not refineries, ports, or storage facilities) for the first time: the Shah oil and gas field in the UAE and the Majnoon oil field in Iraq were attacked; additionally, Saudi Arabia was also hit by a large number of drones."
He pointed out that the attack on this gas field in the UAE, which produces 36 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, carries strong symbolic significance.
"U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the field less than a year ago. The gas field is jointly operated by the UAE state-owned oil company ADNOC and the U.S. company Occidental Petroleum."
The attack on the Majnoon oil field in Iraq also carries significant symbolic meaning, as it is one of the largest oil fields in the world.
In October 2025, the Iraqi government signed a preliminary agreement with ExxonMobil, allowing the company to return to the Majnoon oil field project. According to the plan, this oil giant will be responsible for upgrading export infrastructure and developing new mining areas.
It is worth noting that ExxonMobil may be one of the companies suffering the most severe losses in this Iranian conflict. Qatar has stopped liquefied natural gas production and exports, and ExxonMobil is the largest partner of Qatar Energy in its liquefied natural gas projects in the country.
According to previous reports, Iran deliberately raises oil prices by blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking neighboring countries' oil and gas industries — a move aimed at hitting the U.S. soft spot and forcing the U.S. to stop attacking. On the morning of March 17, the price of Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, had risen to $103 per barrel, while the pre-conflict price was only $70 per barrel.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7618174880009224767/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.