Iran warns civilians near Gulf oil facilities to evacuate immediately, names Saudi, Qatari and UAE targets

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ordered civilians near oil installations in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to evacuate immediately, warning that the sites would soon be targeted in retaliatory strikes, on March 18, citing an IRGC statement.

"Immediately leave these areas and move to a safe distance from them," the IRGC said.

The warning came hours after Israeli forces struck Iran's Asaluyeh gas processing facility in Bushehr province, part of the South Pars complex, the world's largest gas field.

Iran's state broadcaster Press TV named the specific targets: the Jubail petrochemical complex and the SAMREF refinery, jointly owned by Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, in Saudi Arabia; the Mesaieed petrochemical complex and the Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar; and the Al Hosn gas field in the UAE.

The IRGC said the strikes were a direct response to Israel's attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure. Tehran said the Asaluyeh strikes "will not go unanswered."

The named targets represent some of the most critical energy assets in the Persian Gulf. Jubail is the largest industrial city in the Middle East. SAMREF is one of Saudi Arabia's major export refineries. Ras Laffan is the hub of Qatar's LNG exports, the world's largest.

Al Hosn is a major onshore gas facility operated by ADNOC.

The threat marks a significant escalation. Iran had previously struck Gulf energy facilities but had not publicly identified specific targets in advance.