Smoke billowed above fuel tanks in Tehran and gas plants on Iran’s south coast on Sunday as energy became the latest front line in its conflict with Israel.
Iran’s creaking energy sector, starved of foreign investment for years by sanctions, was a clear vulnerability before the war broke out. While the country has some of the richest reserves of oil and gas in the world, it has suffered periodic power cuts, fuel shortages and interruptions to its gas exports.
Israel’s decision to start attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure, with strikes on at least two gas processing plants and two fuel depots, was a high-stakes gamble that poured more risk into global energy markets.