Al-Ansari warns that Iran strikes have damaged Qatar’s LNG sector, hitting 17% of capacity and raising risks for the economy and global gas supplies.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari warned on Tuesday that Iranian missile strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure had dealt a serious blow to its liquefied natural gas sector, raising concerns over economic losses and global supply disruptions.

Speaking at a press briefing in Doha, Al-Ansari described the attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan as having “catastrophic” consequences for the Qatari economy.

“These attacks have had catastrophic results on the Qatari economy,” he said.

Separately, officials and energy sector sources have confirmed that the strikes damaged key QatarEnergy infrastructure, knocking out around 17% of the country’s LNG export capacity, a disruption that threatens supplies to major markets in Europe and Asia.

Al-Ansari condemned the targeting of energy facilities, describing them as civilian infrastructure that should never be attacked.

“We don’t believe that there is any justification for attacking civilian infrastructure,” he said. “These facilities are the wealth of the people and should always be protected.”

No recent alerts, but risks remain

Al-Ansari said Qatar had not recorded attacks requiring emergency alerts in recent days, but cautioned against interpreting this as de-escalation.

“We are still in the eye of the storm,” he said, adding that the absence of attacks “does not mean that we have the luxury of not being vigilant anymore.”

He said Qatar’s defence systems have intercepted most incoming threats.

“We have succeeded in fending off 90% of the missile attacks,” he said.

Authorities have begun restoring normal life across the country following security assessments, with schools, offices and public institutions reopening this week.

“We have monitored the security situation and deemed it safe to go back to work,” he said, adding that “our life must go on and the war might drag on.”

Sovereignty and regional ties

Al-Ansari described Iranian attacks as a direct violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.

“Our country has been attacked. Our sovereignty has been attacked,” he said, adding that such actions contradict “principles of neighbourliness and brotherhood.”

Despite this, he stressed that long-term coexistence in the region remains unavoidable.

“Iran is a neighbouring country, and ways must be found to resolve issues,” he said. “Total annihilation is not an option.”

He added that any rebuilding of trust now depends on Iran’s actions following the attacks.

No mediation role, diplomacy continues

Al-Ansari said Qatar was not directly mediating between the United States and Iran, despite remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting talks were underway.

“There is no direct Qatari effort regarding mediation between the parties,” he said.

However, he confirmed Doha remains in close contact with Washington and supports diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

“We are working very closely with the U.S. administration on how to de-escalate and find a way out of this crisis,” he said.

Qatar has consistently pushed for negotiations, warning that prolonged escalation risks a wider regional war.

“The sooner parties reach the negotiating table, the better,” Al-Ansari said. “The faster the diplomacy is, the more lives we save.”

Gulf security system ‘breakdown’

Al-Ansari said the conflict had exposed deep weaknesses in the region’s security framework.

“The most important outcome of this war is the breakdown of the security system in the Gulf region,” he said.

He added that Gulf states will need to reassess their shared defence approach after the war.

“The Gulf states… are in need of a post-war re-evaluation of what a shared regional security framework truly entails,” he said.

While reaffirming Qatar’s preference for diplomacy, Al-Ansari said the country reserves the right to respond to attacks.

“We reserve the right to take the appropriate action to respond to any such attacks,” he said.

Qatar’s position, he added, remains focused on defending its sovereignty, protecting civilian infrastructure and pursuing diplomacy as the only viable path forward.