Iran warns Gulf countries of attacks on major oil and gas facilities, calls for evacuation of civilians and workers

(Patria) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) today warned of inevitable attacks on major oil and gas facilities in the Gulf countries, calling for civilians and workers to evacuate areas near key energy infrastructure, Anadolu reports.

According to the Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim, the IRGC issued an "urgent warning" to citizens and residents near several facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Several locations were listed as "direct and legitimate targets," including the SAMREF refinery and the Jubail petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia, the Al Hosn gas field in the UAE, and the Mesaieed petrochemical complex and Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar.

The IRGC called on civilians, residents, and employees to immediately leave these areas and move to a safe distance without delay, warning that the locations could be targeted "in the coming hours".

The warnings come after Iranian media reported today on a US-Israeli airstrike on gas tanks at Iran's South Pars field in the southern city of Asaluyeh, which halted production in two refineries with a combined capacity of about 100 million cubic meters per day.

The situation at the South Pars gas facility is under control following the Israeli attack, reports the Iranian news agency Fars, citing the governor of Asaluyeh.

Firefighting teams were bringing the fire under control, and so far there are no reports of casualties or injuries, Fars states.

Oil prices jumped to over $108 a barrel after Iranian media reported that a facility at the world's largest gas field had been hit. The benchmark Brent crude oil price reached $108.60 a barrel around 13:00 GMT, a 5% increase from Tuesday.

It remains above $107. The benchmark UK gas price also rose sharply, by almost 6%, to 139 pence per therm.