Qatar shuts down two energy facilities after being damaged in Iranian strikes

Qatar has shut down two major state-owned energy facilities after they were damaged in Iranian airstrikes.

It halted production of liquefied natural gas on Monday sending prices skyrocketing and has also paused production of downstream natural gas products.

"The damage was contained and now the operations to assess, technically, the safety of the facilities is underway,” said foreign affairs spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari.

Tehran has continued to strike Gulf countries in retaliation for United States and Israeli strike against it.

Al Ansari said Qatar’s diplomatic stance has always been “firm and clear”, adding that it had not had contact with Tehran since the US-Israel strikes on Iran began on Saturday.

"Qatar's … committed to peace, actively promoting de-escalation, advocating dialogue and consultation, and striving to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.

Several other major producers have also shut down production along the Gulf coast amid the intensifying conflict between Iran and the United States.