Despite being the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, Qatar is now negotiating long-term agreements to import gas from the United States to meet its own energy needs and uphold international contracts. This unexpected situation arose after a crucial Qatari LNG infrastructure was severely damaged in an Iranian attack last March. Three reliable sources from the trade and energy industries stated that QatarEnergy is in discussions with multiple US producers to purchase LNG from the United States until 2031.
On June 22, 2026, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy CEO, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, expressed concern over this critical situation. The Iranian attack caused extensive damage to two of the 14 trains at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG facility and one gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant. As a result, Qatar's LNG production and export capacity suffered a massive blow, which has begun to deeply impact the global energy market.
QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi had stated last March that repairs to the damaged infrastructure could take three to five years to complete. Due to this prolonged disruption, an annual LNG production capacity of 12.8 million tons will remain offline, which is a significant portion of Qatar's total production capacity. Since the halt in production, QatarEnergy has been renewing 'force majeure' notices monthly, with the latest extension until November. Experts anticipate further extensions of this notice as normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain.
To address this crisis, QatarEnergy's trading arm, QatarEnergy Trading, is currently trying to procure 2 to 3 million tons of LNG per year until 2031. This division manages the company's nearly 10 million-ton LNG portfolio. A source familiar with the situation commented on its gravity, stating, “They will have to buy whatever they can get their hands on.” Reuters sought immediate comment from QatarEnergy on this matter but received no response. Venture Global and Cheniere declined to comment, while Woodside refrained from commenting on LNG market speculation.
According to data compiled by research firm Rapidan Energy, there is an opportunity to purchase a total of 25 million tons of gas from LNG projects currently under construction in the United States. Venture Global holds the largest unsold capacity, approximately 10 million tons per year. Cheniere and Woodside Energy each have an additional 6 million tons, and Sempra's Port Arthur LNG project has another 3 million tons available for sale. This substantial supply is expected to help meet Qatar's demand.
Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at energy research and consulting firm MST Marquee, said, “Qatar's current drive to buy long-term LNG from other producers suggests Qatar sees risk to its own LNG export capacity for the next few years.” According to him, the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz could be prolonged, and the damage to Qatar's LNG infrastructure might be more extensive than initially estimated. Consequently, there is a fear that repairs could take longer than expected, posing a major challenge for Qatar.
This situation is particularly significant for Qatar because approximately 80% of the country's LNG exports, under normal circumstances, go to Asian buyers. However, with uncertainty surrounding when normal shipping will resume through the Strait of Hormuz, many Asian buyers have already begun seeking alternatives to Qatari LNG. A source indicated that some market participants are even assessing scenarios where no gas would be available from Qatar. In other words, the Iranian attack has not only put pressure on Qatar's production capacity but has also created deep uncertainty in the global energy supply chain, which could reshape the international energy market in the long term.
