"Someone Is Raking in the Money"... The 'Real Winner' of the Iran War Is U.S. LNG, South Korea Also Impacted

WP Highlights LNG Exporters as Winners in the Iran Conflict
"Countries like South Korea Seek U.S. LNG as an Energy Alternative"
U.S. Official: "We Must Prevent Allies from Buying Energy from Adversaries"

There is an analysis suggesting that some companies are benefiting from Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Specifically, American liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters are among the beneficiaries.

The LNG production hub Ras Laffan in Qatar bombed by Iran. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News, on the 23rd (local time), The Washington Post (WP) published an article titled "At Least One Winner Emerges from the Iran War: U.S. Natural Gas Exporters," reporting that "demand for U.S. LNG is surging."

Taiwan, which relies on imports for most of its energy, plans to increase its imports of U.S. LNG starting in June through a contract with Cheniere, a Texas-based gas exporter. WP noted, "South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have wanted to reduce their dependence on Middle Eastern gas, but expensive and long-distance U.S. LNG has been a difficult alternative. However, the Iran war has disrupted energy supplies, changing the situation."

The report also analyzes that since the start of President Donald Trump's administration, the U.S. has pressured other countries to purchase American energy by using tariffs as leverage, which has had an impact. WP reported, "South Korea and Japan have signed several new energy contracts with the United States, including multi-year LNG supply agreements." Previously, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced a $57 billion (about 84 trillion won) energy deal with Japan last week, emphasizing, "We need to sell energy to allies so that they don't have to buy from adversaries," and adding, "This is part of President Trump's energy dominance policy implemented from his first day in office."

In last year's U.S.-Korea tariff negotiations, it was also decided that South Korea would import $100 billion worth of American energy products over the four-year Trump administration. At the time, there was much debate about whether the economically controversial Alaska LNG project would be included, but ultimately it was left out of the negotiations. Glenfarne, the company leading the Alaska LNG project, reportedly told WP that "investor interest has surged (since the Iran war)."

Meanwhile, when Iran attacked Ras Laffan, Qatar's largest gas production hub, on the 19th, the stock prices of LNG exporters Cheniere and Venture Global soared. These companies are reported to have donated millions of dollars to coincide with President Trump's inauguration.

WP explained, "Although it takes longer for U.S. LNG to reach Asia compared to Middle Eastern LNG, it avoids the threat posed by Iran, which uses the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. It also does not have to pass through the South China Sea, where China's military bases are scattered and the potential for conflict exists."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.