Iran War Day 19: Israel strikes Iran’s gas and Iran retaliates against Qatar and UAE energy sites

GULF COUNTRIES - In Brief 19 Mar 2026 by Justin Alexander

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Highlights Israel struck South Pars, the world’s largest gas field (shared with Qatar). Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Qatar’s Ras Laffan, damaging the Pearl GTL plant. Gas and oil fields in the UAE were also damaged. Brent crude surged to $112. Israel killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister. The US spy chief contradicted Trump, stating Iran had not been rebuilding its nuclear program. US/Israel Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight strike on Tehran. This is the third senior official killed in two days. Israels’ Defense Minister said: “No one in Iran has immunity — everyone is a target.” (AJE, Ax)CENTCOM said it dropped 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs (GBU-72, first confirmed combat use) on hardened Iranian anti-ship missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. (CENT/X, CNN)The Pentagon asked the White House to approve a $200bn+ supplemental funding request to Congress for the war, far exceeding costs to date. It is expected to face resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict. (WP)Spy chief Tulsi Gabbard dodged questions about the threat posed by Iran in testimony to the Senate. Her oral statement omitted a section in her written testimony that said that Iran’s uranium enrichment program had indeed been obliterated in last year’s strikes and no efforts had been made to rebuild it, contradicting Trump’s claims in justifying the war (CSPAN, BB).Joe Kent, who resigned on Tuesday as NCTC Director (under Gabbard), gave his first public interview to Tucker Carlson, another Republican skeptical of the war, saying Israel had pulled the US into the conflict and was broadly influencing American policy. (TCN)FM Araghchi told...