Qatar Turns to American LNG After Iran War Cripples Ras Laffan

AI Summary

QatarEnergy has increased its purchases of American LNG on the spot market in 2026 due to the Iran war impacting its Ras Laffan supply. The state-owned company bought 33 U.S. cargoes significantly more than the previous year, aiming to supply Asian customers despite disruptions.

Qatar’s state-owned QatarEnergy has bought on the spot market as many as 33 cargoes from the United States so far this year to ship them to customers in Asia to reduce the impact of its own stranded supply due to the Iran war, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting industry and trade sources. The buying spree on the spot market so far in 2026 vastly exceeds the only four U.S. cargoes QatarEnergy bought last year. The acquisition of the nearly three dozen U.S. spot cargoes, reportedly directly from U.S. producer and exporter Venture Global,…