Qatar Sought Secret Deal With Iran to Halt Gas Output and Spare Ras Laffan, WP Reports
Summary
- Reports raised allegations that Qatar tried to hold secret talks with Iran to protect the Ras Laffan LNG production complex, offering to halt gas production in exchange for avoiding an attack.
- Ras Laffan handles about one-fifth of global LNG supply, and both a shutdown and any attack on the facility could trigger a sharp surge in energy prices and hit major economies.
- An Iranian missile attack on March 18 damaged part of the Ras Laffan facility, jolting energy markets, and Qatar said repairs would take three to five years.
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Qatar is suspected of secretly approaching Iran in an effort to protect its key energy infrastructure.
The Washington Post reported on June 12, citing multiple Middle East security officials.
According to the report, Qatar contacted Iran in late February after war broke out involving the US, Israel and Iran, and proposed a deal. Under the proposal, Qatar would suspend gas production at its own facilities if Iran refrained from attacking the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas complex.
Ras Laffan accounts for about one-fifth of global LNG supply. The facility is a cornerstone of Qatar's economy, and any strike on it would inflict severe damage on the country.
The proposal was linked to Iran's wartime strategy of driving up global energy prices through threats such as closing the Strait of Hormuz and attacking energy facilities in Middle Eastern oil-producing states. A spike in energy prices would directly hit major economies, including the US, and could be used to pressure an early end to the war.
Middle East security officials believe Qatar effectively told Iran that it could achieve its desired strategic effect without directly attacking Qatar. The contacts were detected through intelligence analysis, including communications intercepts.
Qatar did not receive a clear response from Iran, according to the report. Even so, the Post said subsequent developments do not rule out the possibility that the two sides reached some degree of tacit understanding.
Qatar halted operations at Ras Laffan on the third day of the war. At the time, it described the move as a precaution against the risk of military attack.
An analysis of satellite imagery found no signs of direct physical damage at the facility, the Post reported.
Qatar has strongly denied the allegation. The Qatari government told the Post that the shutdown of Ras Laffan was decided solely to protect the facility and its workers. It added that any claim the move was made in collusion with Iran, for Iran's benefit, or to influence the course of the war was "absolutely untrue."
Despite those efforts, Ras Laffan was ultimately hit. After Israeli airstrikes severely damaged South Pars, Iran's biggest gas field, Iran fired missiles at Ras Laffan on March 18 in retaliation. The attack damaged some equipment and jolted global energy markets. Qatar has said repairs will take three to five years.
Shin Yong-hyun, Hankyung.com reporter yonghyun@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
