WASHINGTON — Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces struck multiple energy facilities across the Gulf region in coordinated attacks that sent crude oil prices surging above $120 per barrel on international markets Wednesday morning.

The overnight missile barrage targeted processing plants in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and liquefied natural gas terminals in Qatar, according to satellite imagery analyzed by defense contractors. At least seven facilities suffered varying degrees of damage, though both kingdoms reported no casualties among foreign workers evacuated hours before the strikes.

"Tehran has crossed a red line by attacking sovereign Gulf states," said Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister, in remarks to state media. "Trust between our nations, built over decades, has been shattered by this unprovoked aggression against civilian energy infrastructure."

The Iranian strikes represent direct retaliation for Monday's Israeli air campaign against Iran's South Pars natural gas complex and Caspian Sea naval yards near Anzali. Intelligence sources confirm F-35 stealth fighters penetrated Iranian airspace undetected, destroying critical export terminals that supply European markets through the Turkmenistan pipeline corridor. Defense analyst Rebecca Martinez of the Atlantic Council warned that "both sides have now demonstrated willingness to target economic lifelines rather than purely military assets, suggesting this conflict could reshape global energy security for years."