Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity, with QatarEnergy’s CEO warning repairs could take up to five years and disrupt global energy supplies.

Iranian attacks on Qatar’s energy infrastructure have knocked out around 17% of the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, dealing a major blow to one of the world’s leading gas suppliers.

QatarEnergy CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi told Reuters that the damage could result in an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and disrupt supplies to key markets in Europe and Asia.

Al-Kaabi said two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in what he described as unprecedented strikes.

The impact is expected to sideline approximately 12.8 million tonnes per year of LNG production for three to five years, raising concerns about prolonged instability in global energy markets.

“I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be – Qatar and the region – in such an attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of Ramadan, attacking us in this way,” Al-Kaabi said in the interview.

The disruption is likely to affect long-term supply commitments, with QatarEnergy expected to declare force majeure on LNG contracts for up to five years.

Shipments to countries including Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China could be affected.

Al-Kaabi noted that force majeure had already been declared on a shorter-term basis but may now need to be extended depending on the duration of the disruption.

The fallout extends beyond LNG. Condensate exports are projected to drop by around 24%, while liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) output could fall by 13%.

Helium production is expected to decline by 14%, with naphtha and sulphur both decreasing by around 6%, underlining the broader impact of the strikes.

The damaged facilities, which cost approximately $26 billion to build, include assets partly owned by ExxonMobil, which holds stakes in two of the affected LNG trains.

QatarEnergy had earlier declared force majeure across its LNG output following initial attacks on its Ras Laffan production hub.

Al-Kaabi stressed that production cannot resume until hostilities cease.

The escalation followed Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure after earlier Israeli strikes on its own facilities, marking a sharp intensification of regional tensions with potentially far-reaching consequences for global energy supply chains.