In a March 18 statement, QatarEnergy said the Ras Laffan Industrial City, which is the primary hub for Qatar's liquefied natural gas exports and liquefaction trains, suffered "extensive damage" in Iranian missile strikes that evening. The attack was a response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian gas treatment plant that occurred earlier in the day and marked the first major U.S. or Israeli strike on an Iranian upstream or midstream oil and gas asset since the conflict began on Feb. 28.

The 305,000 barrel per day Ras Laffan refinery is one of five downstream oil and gas facilities in the Gulf that Iran announced it would strike in retaliation for an Israeli strike on gas treatment facilities at the South Pars gas field, Iran's part of the gas field that it shares with Qatar that Qatar calls the North Field. The other four facilities listed are Saudi Arabia's Samref refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's Sadara petrochemical facility in Jubail, the United Arab Emirates' Al Hosn sour gas field and Qatar Chemical. Hours before QatarEnergy's statement, Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said it intercepted four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh.