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As war strands Qatari gas for 6 months, US sales rise and European stocks plummet

By Thomson Reuters Aug 26, 2026 | 12:03 AM

By Marwa Rashad and Nora Buli

LONDON/OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Six months into the U.S.-Iran war, Qatar is among the ​conflict’s biggest economic casualties, with its ‌liquefied natural gas exports slashed by 96%, data shows.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait have seen their oil exports hit, but by nowhere ‌near ​as much.

Qatar has lost $24 billion ⁠in gas sales, ⁠which is about five months’ worth of income for the country based on 2025 data, Reuters calculations show.

While neighbouring Gulf exporters ​have managed to sneak oil secretly out of the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar ⁠has exported just 18 ⁠LNG cargoes, down from 509 ​in the same period last year, according to ​data intelligence firm ICIS. Two Qatari tankers ‌have been attacked.

State-owned LNG producer QatarEnergy did not respond to a Reuters request for immediate comment.

Before the war Qatar supplied about ⁠one-fifth of the world’s daily LNG. Exports from the U.S. have offset some of that lost ⁠supply.

Still, European ‌gas storage has fallen to ⁠a historic low for the time ​of ‌year, exposing the continent to possible ​gas price ⁠spikes in the event of a cold winter this year.

(USD 1 = QAR 3.64)

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad in London, Nora Buli in Oslo and Curtis Williams in Houston; editing by ​Jason Neely)