Energy Prices Goes Up Up Up
• Energy prices spike: Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hit $115 a barrel this morning after Israeli strikes sparked Iranian retaliation on energy infrastructure across the Middle East, including on Qatar’s critical liquefied natural gas hub Ras Laffan.
• Threat of retaliation: US President Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” the world’s largest gas field, a key Iranian asset, if Tehran keeps up its attacks on Qatar. He also said the US “knew nothing” about Israel’s plan to strike the South Pars field yesterday.
• Diplomatic showdown: Saudi Arabia told CNN it “reserved the right to take military action” against Tehran, while Qatar expelled Iran’s military and security attachés.
• Ships hit: Unknown projectiles hit two vessels in separate incidents in and around the Persian Gulf early Thursday, said the UK’s maritime agency.
CNN.com
