MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. Gas prices in Europe jumped 20% at the opening of trading on Monday amid the US and Israeli military operation against Iran, according to data from the London-based ICE exchange.

The price of the April futures contract at the TTF hub in the Netherlands rose to around $470 per 1,000 cubic meters, or 38.67 euro per MWh (ICE prices are quoted in euro per MWh).

Gas prices in Europe are at their highest level since late January.

The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, came under strikes. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats emanating from Iran. At the same time, US leadership openly called on the Iranian population to rise up against their government and seize power. As a result of the strikes, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other key figures in the leadership of the Islamic Republic were killed.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, striking targets in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also targeted.