Qatar\u2019s efforts fell apart when Iran on March 18 struck Ras Laffan and other gas fields across the Persian Gulf in response to Israel\u2019s first-ever targeting<\/a> of a major Iranian gas field, the report said.<\/p>\n The fighting began on February 28, when Israel and the US launched a bombing campaign on Iran in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.<\/p>\n Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region, and by imposing a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which choked off about a fifth of the world\u2019s oil shipments and triggered a global spike in energy prices.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition \t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The fighting entered a fragile truce on April 8. Qatar, which is friendly with both the US and Iran, has since been involved in mediation between the two countries to bring the war to an end.<\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s appeal to Iran at the start of the war was intercepted by a non-US intelligence service that was monitoring communications of Iranian leaders, according to the Washington Post, which cited regional security officials and Western officials briefed on the intelligence.<\/p>\n While Iran never committed to the deal, Qatar\u2019s conduct early in the war suggested the possibility of a \u201ctacit understanding\u201d between the countries, the report said.<\/p>\n Qatar shuttered Ras Laffan on the third day of the war, and spread misinformation that it was hit by Iran and had to be closed, according to the newspaper.<\/p>\n \t The report cited satellite footage showing the facility was not obviously damaged in the first week of March, even when Qatari officials indicated it was. Nor did there appear to be damage to other energy sites that Qatari officials had claimed were hit and needed to be closed.<\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s International Media Office strongly rejected the report, saying in a statement that it had never coordinated with Iran on energy during the war and that it was \u201cbaseless\u201d to suggest \u201cQatar exaggerated or fabricated damage to the Ras Laffan LNG facility as a pretext for its closure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny suggestion that operational decisions relating to energy production were \u2013 or have ever been \u2013 made in coordination with Iran, for Iran\u2019s benefit, or to influence the course of the conflict is entirely unfounded,\u201d the statement said, noting that \u201cQatar was actively defending its territory against Iranian missile attacks at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement accused the Washington Post of having shifted the \u201cbasis of the allegations\u201d over time but sticking to them \u201cdespite the facts and information presented to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe allegations rely on false and unreliable material originating from actors whose objective is to sabotage ongoing efforts to mediate an end to the conflict, damage Qatar\u2019s reputation, and undermine the strategic partnership between Qatar and the United States,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tQatarEnergy\u2019s operating facilities are seen in Ras Laffan Industrial City on March 2, 2026. (AFP)<\/p>\n
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