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South Pars
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South Pars

Iranian share of the world’s largest gas field, shared with Qatar’s North Dome.

On 16 March, Israeli aircraft struck South Pars, Iran’s main gas field, before Iran fired on Qatar’s Ras Laffan hub hours later. The shared reservoir tied the escalation to Qatar’s LNG system.

Last refreshed: 22 September 2026

Key Question

Why is South Pars the single most consequential target in the Iran war?

Timeline for South Pars

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Background

South Pars is Iran’s share of the world’s largest natural-gas field, which it shares with Qatar’s North Dome. It is a central part of Iran’s domestic gas supply. On 16 March, reporting on the Israeli strike described South Pars as supplying roughly 70% of Iran’s domestic gas.

The reservoir runs beneath the maritime boundary between Iran and Qatar. Iran calls its portion South Pars; Qatar calls its portion North Dome. That geology means a threat to South Pars carries consequences beyond Iran’s own energy system, because Qatar’s LNG industry depends on the same underground formation.

South Pars therefore matters as both a national energy asset and a regional strategic constraint. Its shared structure gives Qatar a direct stake in the safety of infrastructure on the Iranian side, even when the two states face opposing pressures in a conflict.

Key Issues
Gulf energy war

South Pars links rival gas systems

On 16 March, Israel struck South Pars, the Iranian side of the gas formation shared with Qatar’s North Dome. Hours later, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, where QatarEnergy reported extensive damage and fires. For South Pars, the sequence made its value as a domestic energy asset inseparable from the risk to the neighbouring LNG system.

On 18 March, QatarEnergy said two of its 14 LNG trains had been destroyed, removing 12.8 million tonnes a year of capacity for three to five years. Damage across the shared gas province made South Pars a pressure point in a wider contest over Gulf Energy infrastructure, rather than an isolated Iranian target.

Common Questions
What is South Pars and why is Israel bombing it?
South Pars is Iran share of the world largest natural gas field, supplying 70 to 80 per cent of Iran National Gas production. Israel struck its Asaluyeh petrochemical complex on 6 April 2026 as part of a campaign targeting Iran hard-currency hydrocarbon exports.Source: Briefing #61, Lowdown
Is the South Pars gas field shared with Qatar?
Yes. South Pars is Iran half of the same geological reservoir that Qatar calls North Dome. The two countries extract from opposite sides of a single subsurface field, which is the largest natural gas reservoir in the world.
How much of Iran gas comes from South Pars?
South Pars supplies roughly 70 to 80 per cent of Iran National Gas production, processed onshore at Asaluyeh. Record output reached 730 million cubic metres per day in 2025 across 24 operational phases.
Can you destroy South Pars with air strikes?
You can destroy the surface infrastructure at Asaluyeh that processes the gas, which strands the reserves underground and eliminates Iran export capacity. You cannot destroy a subsurface reservoir with air strikes, so Trump threat to destroy "the entirety" of South Pars is geologically incoherent.Source: Briefing #61, Lowdown