Iran intensifies attacks on Gulf energy sites after Israel struck key gas field

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz (Altaf Qadri/AP)

Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.

The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring and risked drawing Iran’s Arab neighbours directly into the conflict.