Iran is widening the geographic scope of energy strikes as it trades blows with the United States and Israel. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tehran looked beyond its immediate Gulf neighborhood to target infrastructure along the Red Sea and in the eastern Mediterranean — a shift that could further destabilize already strained global energy markets.

After initially focusing on nearby Gulf oil and gas assets, Iran is now signaling it will hit key export routes and facilities farther afield. While the most severe damage so far remains concentrated in the Gulf, the expanding map of targets is adding a new layer of uncertainty to a crisis that has already upended energy flows worldwide, sending oil and gas prices soaring. 

What happened: After initially targeting a select number of oil and gas facilities across Gulf countries during the first two weeks of the war, Iran’s campaign against regional energy infrastructure has intensified and broadened in recent days. The shift came after President Donald Trump announced US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island export hub last Friday, followed by Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field on Wednesday. In response, Iran has escalated retaliatory measures, including a major strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas export complex.

At the same time, Iran is extending its reach. On Thursday, a drone hit Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery in the western port city of Yanbu, where the export terminal briefly halted crude loadings, per reports. Operations later resumed, with initial indications pointing to limited damage, though assessments are ongoing. The attack marks the first known time during this war that Red Sea energy infrastructure has been directly targeted.