{"id":37,"date":"2026-04-06T16:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=37"},"modified":"2026-04-06T16:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:53:01","slug":"the-south-pars-natural-gas-complex-is-an-energy-lifeline-for-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=37","title":{"rendered":"The South Pars natural gas complex is an energy lifeline for Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-04-06T16:03:55Z<\/p>\n

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) \u2014 For the second time, Israel has attacked Iran\u2019s South Pars natural gas and its associated petrochemical complex – an energy lifeline for Iran that both helps keep the lights on for civilians and provides a key source of export earnings.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel attacked a key petrochemical plant at Asaluyeh, the onshore industrial aspect of the gas field, which lies under the Persian Gulf. <\/p>\n

Katz said the \u201cpowerful strike\u201d hit what he called \u201cthe largest petrochemical facility in Iran … responsible for about 50% of the country\u2019s petrochemical production.\u201d Combined with an earlier attack, two facilities responsible for 85% of Iran\u2019s petrochemical exports have been taken out of service, he said. <\/p>\n

Attacks on South Pars are sufficiently provocative to Iran that an earlier Israeli attack on March 18 prompted Iran to target energy infrastructure<\/a><\/span> in other Middle East countries in response, an escalation of the war that sent new shockwaves across the region and beyond. <\/p>\n

After the March attack, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again, but warned on social media that if Iran continued attacking key energy infrastructure in Qatar, the United States would retaliate and \u201cmassively blow up the entirety\u201d of the field.<\/p>\n

Here are things to know about the South Pars natural gas field and its associated industries making chemicals using gas as a raw material: <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s share of the world\u2019s largest gas field provides both domestic energy and export earnings. <\/h2>\n

South Pars is Iran\u2019s biggest source of domestic energy in a country that sometimes struggles to produce enough electricity. The gas field under the Persian Gulf \u2014 the world\u2019s largest \u2014 is shared by Iran and Qatar. It\u2019s called South Pars on the Iranian side and the North Field on the Qatari side. <\/p>\n

Iran relies heavily on gas to produce electricity and heat homes. It is the fourth-largest consumer of natural gas in the world, behind the U.S., China and Russia, according to the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, even though its economy is much smaller. In contrast to other Middle East countries, it uses gas for heating due to its cold climate and much of that use is subsidized, which discourages efficient use. <\/p>\n

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