Doha, Qatar: As the Iran-US war enters day 20, the agression against GCC countries has overnight seen huge escalation with energy sites across UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar being attacked on Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 and 19, 2026.
Saudi Arabia stated that two of its refineries were attacked with Riyadh saying, "the little trust that remained in Iran has been completely shattered”.
Qatar also ordered Iranian Iranian Embassy military and security attachés 'persona non grata', requesting them to leave the country within a maximum period of 24 hours on Wednesday.
Stay tuned for more live updates:
12pm Doha Time
Drone attack causes limited fire at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Refinery
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) announced Thursday that one of the operational units at Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery, was targeted this morning by drone.
The company said in a statement that the attack led to a limited fire within the unit but caused no injuries. It added that emergency and rapid response teams were immediately deployed to the site, where the fire was contained in accordance with the highest approved safety standards.
The company said that the relevant authorities were closely monitoring the situation and that the situation was handled with exceptional speed.
10:25am Doha Time
Trump threatens to destroy Iran's largest gas field
US President Donald Trump threatened to "massively blow up" a vast Iranian gas field unless Tehran stops striking Qatari energy facilities, which sustained extensive damage Thursday.
Trump called in a social media post for strikes on both Iranian and Qatari energy sites to halt. Read more
9:49am Doha Time
Qatar Amir receives telephone call from French President
The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a telephone call from HE Emmanuel Macron, President of the friendly French Republic.
During the call, they discussed developments in the region, following the attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City, and its implications as a dangerous escalation that threatens regional security and stability, while undermining the security of global energy supplies. Read more
9:45am Doha Time
GCC, Arab, Islamic countries issue joint statement following consultative ministerial meeting on Iranian aggression
Their Highnesses, and Excellencies Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates held a consultative ministerial meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Riyadh, regarding the Iranian attacks.
The participants discussed the Iranian attacks on member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Turkiye. They affirmed their condemnation and denunciation of these deliberate Iranian attacks carried out using ballistic missiles and drones, which targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential compounds, and diplomatic premises. Read more
9:30am Doha Time
Saudi Arabia reserves 'right to take military actions' over Iran attacks: Foreign Minister
Saudi Arabia has not ruled out military action in response to repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran, Foreign Minister HE Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting in Riyadh of foreign ministers from the region, Prince Faisal said that Iran "tries to pressure its neighbours" with attacks.
"The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire... and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary," he said. Read more
9:20am Doha Time
Environment Ministry confirms radiation levels in Qatar fall within natural, safe thresholds
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) has confirmed that the radiation levels in the air and in the territorial waters of the State of Qatar fall within natural and safe thresholds. It added that all recorded readings don't indicate the existence of any signs of concern. Read more
8:55am Doha Time
Kuwait Air Defense responds to missile, drone threats
The Kuwaiti army said its air defences are “currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks”, about an hour after the National Guard said it shot down several drones.
The army advised the public to adhere to “security and safety instructions” and said that any explosions heard are the result of interceptions.
7:05am Doha Time
Civil Defense contains all fires in Ras Laffan Industrial Area
The Civil defense has fully contained all fires in the Ras Laffan Industrial Area without recording any injuries.
The Ministry of Interior stated this in a social media post adding that the cooling and ssite-ecuring operations are continuing at the sites.
5am Doha Time
QatarEnergy confirms several LNG facilities subjected to missile attacks
QatarEnergy confirmed today that several of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities were the subject of missile attacks early Thursday, March 19, 2026, causing sizable fires and further extensive damage.
4am Doha Time
Ballistic missile from Iran targets Ras Laffan Industrial City: Defense Ministry
The Ministry of Defense announced that the State of Qatar has been subjected to a ballistic missile attack from Iran, targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City.
The Ministry said this in an early morning post on Thursday, March 19, 2026, adding that the missile caused damages in the facility.
