Qatar cuts government budget amid massive hit from US war on Iran
Qatar has slashed its government budget by up to 30% this year as its gas production and exports have been severely hit by Iranian airstrikes and Persian Gulf blockades linked to the US-Israeli aggression on Iran.
A Saturday report by the Financial Times (FT) showed that Qatari authorities were also cutting the country’s overseas aid spending by roughly 85% for 2026.
The report quoted statements from three people briefed on the matter who said the budget cuts were a direct result of the collapse in Qatar’s income from liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.
Qatar’s main LNG production facility, known as Ras Laffan, which is the largest of its kind in the world, came under Iranian attacks during the US-Israeli aggression against Iran that began in late February.
Authorities at the time said the attacks had knocked out some 17% of production at the facility and that repairs would take up to five years.
Iran attacked Ras Laffan to retaliate against US attacks on its energy facilities, after Iranian authorities warned that they would retaliate against any energy facility in the Persian Gulf where US companies have a share.
Iran has imposed tight restrictions on energy transit via the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, making it almost impossible for Qatar and other countries in the region to export oil or LNG.
FT’s report said Qatar’s 2026 budget amounts to $61 billion but said it is not yet clear how much the planned cuts to government departments would reduce the total budget.
It also estimated that cuts to Qatar’s foreign aid spending would seriously undermine the small but wealthy country’s contribution to international programs, including aid to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which reached some $1.5 billion in 2025.
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