Qatar, which supported the terrorist group Hamas and was closely allied with Iran, is trying to stop the U.S.-Israel attack on the tyrannical Iranian regime by warning of global economic consequences if the war continues.
Traditionally a close ally of Iran and a long-time financial and political patron of Hamas, Qatar is now leveraging its position as the world’s second-largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer to force a ceasefire that would effectively bail out the embattled regime in Tehran.
Following an Iranian drone strike on its Ras Laffan plant — an act many view as a coordinated effort to “raise the stakes” for the West — Qatar declared force majeure, halting its massive gas exports. Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, warned that if the war continues, oil will skyrocket to $150 a barrel within weeks, and every energy exporter in the Gulf will be forced to shut down production.
By framing the energy crisis as an inevitability of the US-Israeli offensive, Qatar is attempting to pivot the blame for global inflation and potential GDP contraction away from Iranian aggression and onto the Western military response.
Despite hosting a major US military base, Qatar’s loyalties remain deeply intertwined with the “Axis of Resistance.” Having sheltered Hamas leadership for years and maintained deep economic ties with Tehran — Qatar’s ambassador to Tehran said in December 2025, ““Qatar has important and distinguished relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and these relations are based on the principle of neighborliness, mutual respect and cooperation in all common fields” — Doha is now using the threat of “weeks to months” of energy delivery delays to pressure Washington. Al-Kaabi dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s offers of naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz, labeling the waterway “too dangerous” and effectively siding with the Iranian position that the Strait cannot function while Iran is under attack.
“This will bring down the economies of the world,” Kaabi said. “If this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the world will be impacted. Everybody’s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that cannot supply.”
Al-Kaabi’s rhetoric suggests that Qatar is not merely a victim of the crossfire but an active participant in a diplomatic squeeze. By predicting that Asian buyers will outbid Europeans for dwindling supplies and that global supply chains will suffer a “chain reaction” of failures, Doha is sending a clear message to Western capitals: the survival of the Iranian regime is now directly linked to the stability of the global economy.
As Qatar halts its $30 billion North Field expansion and warns of long-term “liability” for other Gulf nations that continue to pump oil, it is clear that Doha is utilizing its energy dominance as a shield for its allies in Tehran.
