Macron called, on his X profile, for an immediate halt to such attacks, particularly those targeting energy and water infrastructure, as the conflict enters its 20th day, following the outbreak of the US and Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28.

The president wrote, “The civilian population and their basic needs, as well as the security of energy supplies, must be protected from the military escalation.”

The head of State made the demand after speaking with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and US President Donald Trump, following Iran’s retaliatory strike on the Qatari gas industrial complex of Ras Laffan, 80 kilometers north of the capital, Doha.

Iran denounced, before its response, the US and Israeli shelling of the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, an action Trump attributed to the Israeli military forces without Washington’s knowledge.

In addition to the cost in human lives and damage to civilian infrastructure in the region, the escalation of the conflict is having severe consequences for the global economy, with the price of oil rising this Thursday to 112 dollars a barrel, a four percent increase for Brent crude.

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