The Sultanate of Oman has condemned Iran's attacks on energy sites in Qatar, the UAE and Saudia Arabia, according to the country’s state news agency.

"Oman affirms the imperative of upholding international laws and norms, refraining from striking civilian facilities and global energy supplies," it writes in a post on X.

It comes after Iran struck Qatar's Ras Laffan energy complex on Wednesday.

The UAE's Habshan gas facility and Bab field have also been forced to shut down, while Saudia Arabia reported thwarting attacks in the east of the country and in the capital, Riyadh.

The IDF has issued another update following its alert of missiles being from Iran toward Israel. It says people can now stop sheltering “in all areas of the country.”

It comes around 15 minutes after it first reported the threat on Telegram.

One journalist at the AFP news agency reported hearing "three blasts" over Tel Aviv.

The Israeli emergency services, Magen David Adom, says it has received no reports of casualties at this stage.

A second oil refinery in Kuwait has been the target of a drone strike, according to the state-run Kuwait News Agency.

It says a drone struck part of the Mina Abdullah oil refinery, south of Kuwait City, resulting in a fire breaking out at the site.

It follows a reported attack on the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, just a few miles down the road, which resulted in a "limited fire" that has been contained.

Image source, Reuters

Shell says its natural gas facility within Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City was damaged by fire following Iran's attack on the site.

The firm says the fire was quickly put out, there were no reported casualties and that the facility is now in a "safe state", the Reuters news agency reports.

Shell says that when fully operational, the facility has capacity to process 1.6 billion cubic feet of gas per day, converting it into 140,000 barrels per day of gas-to-liquids.

In the last few minutes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has identified a fresh wave of missiles from Iran.

Defence systems are working to intercept the threat, and those in affected areas should seek shelter, it says.

The increase in gas prices reflects the market "pricing in long-lasting disruption", says Matthieu Favas, commodity editor at British news and current affairs magazine the Economist, who calls the jump “huge”.

Favas tells Radio 4's Today programme that the hope would be that Qatar's gas facility is "restarted within weeks", but after several attacks it is "clear that this is unlikely to happen".

However, he says we are still a long way off the peaks we saw in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Favas says prices could rise further when demand - which is currently fairly low due to the time of year - increases.

"Demand will pick up as we enter summer in countries that need to use a lot of air conditioning.

"Europe will need to restock, as well as Asia. So they will be competing for supplies which is very likely to push the price higher.”

Azadeh Moshiri
South Asia Correspondent, in Dubai

It's not the first time Iran has targeted countries in the Gulf who host US military bases. What leaders in the region are taken aback by is the scale of these attacks. Their anger is reflected in their joint statement by a group of Arab and Islamic nations.

Residential areas and civilian infrastructure have been damaged, and major energy facilities targeted.

Here in the UAE, officials insist they are capable of handling the more than 2,000 missiles and drones launched at them since the start of the war.

But like other Gulf countries, they have warned against the "threat to global energy security" and the long-term consequences of this war.

Economies in the Gulf built on tourism, energy and technology are at risk of seeing their investment, planning and hopes deeply injured.

One UAE official says he is surprised by the extent of Iran's willingness to target countries that have played a mediating role.

Dealing with years of sanctions and seen as a major threat by the West and Israel, Iran was already isolated before this war.

But should the regime survive, it has severely damaged relations with mediators it has previously counted on.

A fire has broken out at an oil refinery in Kuwait after it was targeted by a drone strike, according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) and Iranian state media.

The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation says there were no injuries at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery and the "limited fire" has been contained, KUNA reports.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Theo Leggett
International business correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The price of gas has risen sharply following the attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex. In early trading it was up more than 25% on wholesale markets in the UK and Europe, before easing back slightly.

The price of gas in Europe is more than double the level seen before the conflict began.

Katie Hope
BBC business reporter

UK gas prices this morning have soared over 20% after fresh strikes hit energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including Qatar's main gas facility.

UK gas prices are currently up by 23% to 171p per therm.

The oil price is trading at around 5% higher, at $113 a barrel.

Two waves of Iranian strikes caused "extensive damage" at Qatar's main gas hub, the country's state-run energy firm has said.

An escalation Gulf states fearedpublished at 07:33 GMT 19 March

07:33 GMT 19 March

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, in Doha

This is exactly the escalation that Gulf Arab nations feared

What began nearly three weeks ago, in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, as Iranian missile attacks aimed primarily at Israel and US bases in the region has now morphed into strikes on the energy sector.

This is the beating heart of all the Gulf economies. Oil, gas and petrochemicals are what has transformed Gulf Arab states into rich countries in the space of a few decades.

Qatar is incensed that despite publicly and privately urging the US not to attack Iran back in February it has nevertheless seen the crown jewels of its gas industry at Ras Laffan up the coast from here struck twice overnight.

The Gulf Arab states' air defences have been highly effective – several Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted last night over Riyadh, just as a ministerial meeting of 12 Muslim-majority nations was taking place. But clearly Iran's arsenal is not yet empty and some of its weapons have been able to get through.

Nick Marsh
Asia Business Reporter, Singapore

These strikes, in Iran and Qatar, mark one of the most significant escalations since the conflict began when it comes to energy infrastructure. Ras Laffan in Qatar is the world's largest liquefied natural gas plant.

Qatar's state-owned petroleum company says it suffered "extensive damage" and its closure was enough to send energy prices shooting up – and markets sliding down.

Just north, in the Iranian part of the Gulf, is the South Pars gas field – which Donald Trump's threatened to destroy "entirely" if Iranian attacks on Qatar persisted.

However, President Trump's assurance that Israel wouldn't attack South Pars, if Iran didn't attack Qatar, points to an awareness of these sites' huge importance to the world's energy markets.

Azadeh Moshiri
South Asia Correspondent, in Dubai

Both Qatar and the UAE had condemned the attack at Iran's South Pars gas field, warning it threatened "global energy security".

Now the Gulf is bearing the brunt of Iran's fury. In Qatar, Ras Laffan was hit repeatedly but fires there are now under control. The UAE's Habshan gas facility and Bab field have been forced to shut down. Authorities say they were hit by debris from intercepted attacks.

Saudi Arabia too was targeted, saying it thwarted attacks in the east, and in the capital Riyadh.

In response, Qatar has now expelled two Iranian diplomats, and Saudi Arabia has warned it is reserving the right to respond militarily.

Iran was already isolated, but now it has severely damaged its relationships with regional neighbours who were willing to mediate on its behalf.

Image source, Reuters

Attacks on Middle Eastern nations continued through the night after Iran threatened to hit US-linked "oil and gas refineries" in the Gulf following a strike on its South Pars gas field.

Saudi Arabia reported the most attacks overnight, with seven updates being issued since 22:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The Saudi defence ministry says it shot down 17 drones and two ballistic missiles across the capital Riyadh and the "eastern regions" of the country,

Following Iranian retaliatory attacks on its Ras Laffan energy complex on Wednesday, Qatar announced that it had been hit again the early hours of Thursday - with damage but no casualties reported.

The United Arab Emirates reported at about 03:30 that air defence systems were intercepting ballistic missiles while fighter jets were in the skies intercepting drones.

Bahrain issued three warnings throughout the night, urging residents to seek shelter.

The Kuwaiti military issued a statement a short while ago that it was confronting "hostile missile and drone attacks".

The Kuwaiti army is "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks" targeting the country, regional media reports, quoting the army's General Staff.

It said that any explosions residents hear are the result of its air defence systems intercepting incoming projectiles, and the public should remain calm.

Earlier, Kuwait's National Guard said it had shot down several drones in early morning strikes.

Arab nations have issued a joint statement in response to Iran's attacks, following a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Representatives included those from Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, the UAE and other nations in the region.

In their statement, they condemn Iran's "deliberate attacks", which they say have targeted residential areas, civilian infrastructure and diplomatic premises. These cannot be justified "under any pretext", they say.

They also stress their right to self-defence in accordance with UN Article 51.

Their statement calls on Iran to "immediately halt its attacks" and respect international law and "the principles of good neighbourliness", and to refrain from "measures or threats" aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz.

They also condemn Israel's "aggression" against Lebanon and what they call its "expansionist policy in the region".

Iran has executed three protesters convicted of killing two police officers during the nationwide anti-government protests in January, Reuters reports, citing Iran's judicial news agency Mizan.

The judiciary said they were found guilty of murder and "waging war against God", including acting in favour of Israel and the US.

The anti-government action started as protests against the economy and later grew into nationwide protests against the Iranian government.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) some 6,488 protesters were killed during the protests. The figure does not include the 236 children, 76 non-protesters and 207 military and government forces also killed.

HRANA says is still reviewing some 11,744 cases after the brutal crackdown by Iranian security forces.

Image source, Reuters

Airline Cathay Pacific has cancelled all flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh up until 30 April, which it says is a result of the "developing situation" in the Middle East.

The airline warned that further changes to the flight schedule "may be needed" in the coming days, adding that the safety of passengers was its first priority.

As we reported earlier, aviation has been heavily impacted by the war in Iran, with a number of airlines forced to cancel or delay flights to international travel hubs across the region.

Another vessel has been hit by an "unknown projectile" in the Persian Gulf, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The crew have all been reported safe and well, it says.

The incident took place 4 nautical miles east of Ras Laffan, Qatar, an energy complex which has been targeted by Iranian attacks overnight.

Qatar's Interior Ministry says that all fires at the Ras Laffan energy facility have now been brought under control without any reported injuries.

In a fresh statement on X, the ministry said cooling and securing of the site was ongoing, with hazardous materials being handled by a specialised unit.

As a reminder, the Ras Laffan facility was hit by Iranian rockets early on Thursday morning, in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the South Pars gas site.

Donald Trump has since addressed the attack in a lengthy post to Truth Social, where he declared the retaliation unjust and unfair, warning that any further attacks on "innocent" nations such as Qatar would result in the US blowing up "the entirety" of the South Pars gas field.