Ansarollah Website Official Report
Published: 3 Shawwal 1447 AH

As the war launched by the United States and Israel approached its fourth week, a new and dangerous phase began to unfold across the region. Before the conflict reached this stage, Israeli forces — in full coordination with Washington — had already targeted vital gas and energy facilities inside Iran. The strike placed the Middle East on the brink of the comprehensive retaliation scenario that Tehran had long warned about. Iranian officials had repeatedly stressed that any attack on their oil and gas resources would be met with a direct response targeting energy facilities belonging to the countries participating in the aggression across the region.

The threat was not directed at Gulf assets in their purely national sense. Rather, it was aimed with precision at the American economic sovereignty embedded within those installations. In practice, the giants of the oil and gas industry operating in these fields represent that presence. From this perspective, many Gulf energy facilities can be seen — in essence — as American economic bases operating under local banners. Corporations such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Halliburton oversee key aspects of production and technological transformation, while billions of dollars in profits flow steadily into the banking systems of Washington and New York.

From Tehran’s vantage point, placing these facilities on a target list effectively means striking at the financial arm and economic nerve center of the United States in the region. Within this framework, partnerships once perceived as guarantees of security are increasingly being interpreted as sources of vulnerability — and ultimately, strategic targets.

The Larger Picture of American Corporate Presence in Gulf Oil

A closer examination of the operational structure of the Gulf energy sector raises questions about true operational sovereignty. While national oil and gas companies across Gulf states carry local identities and branding, the structural reality reveals deep-rooted American dominance. In investment terms, major U.S. corporations and global financial institutions remain the driving force behind financing and developing giant fields.

As a result, vast financial returns ultimately cycle back into the American banking system through the recycling of the petrodollar and sovereign investments aligned with Western economic interests. Local roles, by contrast, often remain confined largely to managing operational expenses and payroll.

American Workforce Statistics Across the Region

The human and technological dimension further illustrates this dynamic. Major engineering roles, strategic planning centers, and advanced technological management are largely dominated by American expertise. Engineers and consultants arriving from across the Atlantic occupy critical technical decision-making positions, effectively transforming facilities that are national in form into technical and economic extensions of U.S. interests — operated by international hands and minds under local flags.

For example, census data and labor reports from 2022 and subsequent years indicate that more than 20,000 American citizens reside in Saudi Arabia. A significant portion of them — no fewer than 5,000 to 7,000 — work directly within Saudi Aramco and its supporting companies, including Halliburton and Schlumberger, as well as major engineering projects.

The situation is similar in the United Arab Emirates, where the American population is estimated at around 50,000 to 60,000 residents. Approximately 10% to 15% of them — between 5,000 and 9,000 experts — work directly in oil and gas–related activities, either within ADNOC or through major American service companies such as SLB (formerly Schlumberger) and Halliburton.

In Qatar, the American community numbers roughly between 15,000 and 20,000 people. Yet because of the country’s small geographic size and the heavy concentration of its economy around natural gas, a remarkably high proportion of Americans — estimated at around 40% — are tied to the energy sector. This represents approximately 6,000 to 8,000 engineers and specialists.

Major Companies Operating in the Saudi Oil Sector

U.S. Production Companies

Large American production and refining companies operate in the Saudi energy sector as operational and investment arms. Although they do not sovereignly own the fields, they control key segments of value creation, management, and technology.

ExxonMobil, with a market value of around $670 billion, stands out as a historic partner in giant refining and petrochemical complexes such as Yanpet and SAMREF. These assets are estimated to contribute between 5% and 8% of the company’s global refining sector net profits.

Chevron, valued at approximately $390 billion, plays a unique strategic role as the only American company managing direct production operations in the Partitioned Zone at the Wafra field. Output from this field alone accounts for roughly 2% to 4% of Chevron’s total global production, generating billions of dollars annually for the company.

ConocoPhillips, with a market value of about $152 billion, focuses its weight on natural gas technologies, liquefied gas, and joint ventures. Through refining margins and exclusive technical licensing fees, the company secures hundreds of millions of dollars in net profits.

Taken together, these companies rely heavily on industrial “conversion efficiency” for profitability. Roughly 30% to 40% of the cash flows generated from these partnerships are cycled back as profits to investors in American markets. In effect, Gulf oil facilities become a vital feeder for U.S. investment portfolios under the framework of technical cooperation.

Oilfield Service Companies

These companies manage drilling operations and well maintenance across Saudi fields. At the forefront is SLB — formerly Schlumberger — with an estimated market value of around $68 billion. It is considered the largest service provider for Saudi Aramco and oversees field digitalization and deep drilling technologies.

Following closely is Halliburton, which dominates well completion services and hydraulic fracturing operations. Saudi Arabia represents one of its largest international markets outside the United States, and the company’s market value stands at approximately $30 billion.

Companies such as SLB and Halliburton receive annual contracts from Saudi Aramco worth billions of dollars. The Saudi market alone accounts for roughly 10% to 15% of these firms’ total international revenues.

For ExxonMobil and Chevron, profits primarily come from refining margins and production shares in joint zones. Their operations linked to Saudi Arabia generate billions of dollars annually, depending largely on global oil prices.

Iran’s Strategic Rationale for Targeting Energy Facilities

The deep investment and technological dominance of American energy companies across the Gulf provides a geopolitical justification for targeting these installations in response to the U.S. aggression. Within Iran’s military doctrine, such facilities are not viewed purely as Saudi or Emirati national infrastructure, but rather as American economic bases.

In Iranian strategic thinking, striking refineries and gas fields amounts to a direct blow to profit flows feeding banks and investment portfolios on Wall Street, while also disrupting the petrodollar mechanism that grants Washington significant global financial influence.

This perspective explains why military operations have targeted Ras Laffan Industrial City — considered a strategic objective due to its massive liquefied natural gas complexes and major partnerships with ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. Targeting this area represents a direct strike on American investments tied to the North Field gas reserve.

Similarly, attention has focused on the SAMREF complex in Yanbu, a joint venture with ExxonMobil, as well as Mina Abdullah refinery, which signed major development contracts with American oil service firms including LSB and Baker Hughes.

In Tehran’s calculation, such targets represent the economic arm of the United States in the region. Iranian strategists believe that disrupting production at the Wafra field operated by Chevron — or halting the technological backbone provided by companies like Halliburton — exerts direct pressure on decision-makers in Washington by threatening the interests of America’s largest corporations.

As a result, Gulf energy installations increasingly emerge as a contested arena — a battlefield where U.S. power, dependent on these resources, and Iranian responses seeking to undermine this influence.