From a dazzling World Cup to a 97% collapse in revenue: Qatar has lost its doomsday weapon | Dr. Yaron Friedman
Dr. Yaron Friedman analyzes Qatar's revenue collapse following the US-Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Gas exports plummeted by 97%, GDP contracted, and the deficit soared. However, the Doha regime remains stable due to the absence of an opposition, a massive sovereign wealth fund, and the ability to export the crisis to foreign workers. The article calls on Israel to act with the US to designate Qatar as a terrorist financier.
In his column, Dr. Yaron Friedman analyzes the severe economic consequences for Qatar following the US-Iran war that began in late February 2026. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian attack on the Ras Laffan facility led to the shutdown of QatarEnergy's main export facility for the first time in 30 years. According to Bloomberg, liquefied natural gas exports fell from 20 million tons in the quarter to less than 2 million tons between April and June – a 97% decline. The International Monetary Fund revised its forecast from 6% growth to a contraction of 8.6%. The deficit in the second quarter reached approximately $5.8 billion, the highest since 2016. Friedman emphasizes that despite the crisis, the regime of the Al Thani family is not at risk of collapse due to the absence of an opposition and political parties, the loyalty of the security establishment, a sovereign wealth fund of about half a trillion dollars, and the ability to fire foreign workers. He calls on Israel to exploit Qatar's temporary weakness and act with the US to designate it as the world's largest terrorist financier after Iran, instead of continuing ties with it.