DOHA, March 2. /TASS/. State-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy is set to declare force majeure in relation to liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, Reuters reported, citing a source.

The company is preparing to declare force majeure on LNG supplies as the next step after announcing production suspension due to Iran’s attacks, according to the source. The force majeure declaration will allow the company to temporarily relieve itself of liability for non-performance of contractual obligations to gas buyers around the world. Qatar is one of the largest exporters of LNG.

Earlier, Qatar Energy announced suspension of production of LNG and related products due to Iran’s air strikes. The country’s Defense Ministry said two Iranian drones had attacked a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed and a facility of Qatar Energy in Ras Laffan.

The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats 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 senior figures in the leadership of the Islamic Republic were killed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also hit.