Germany warns of repercussions of attacks on oil, gas infrastructure amid war in Middle East

BERLIN

Germany on Thursday warned of the repercussions of attacks on oil and gas infrastructure amid the ongoing Iran war and soaring energy prices.

Speaking at a meeting of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party’s economic council in Berlin, German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said attacks on oil processing facilities and gas fields in the Gulf region concerned her as much as the potential full closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“This could genuinely lead to serious disruptions,” German press agency dpa quoted Reiche as saying.

The minister urged the warring parties to avoid large-scale destruction of facilities whose restart or repair would take not just weeks, but months.

Qatar’s liquefied natural gas installations, which are of major significance to the global market, have been severely damaged as a result of Iranian missile strikes.

Germans are facing particularly high energy prices as the ongoing war in Iran rattles global energy markets and drives up fuel costs.

In Germany, petrol prices rose from around €1.82 ($2.10) per liter to €2.07 ($2.39) per liter, an increase of nearly 14% within three weeks.

An Israeli airstrike targeted the Iranian side of the South Pars gas field on Wednesday, halting production at two major refineries. Iran retaliated and targeted energy facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.