Qatar said some liquefied natural gas facilities could return to normal operations within weeks once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, but damage from Iranian attacks is expected to constrain gas capacity for years. According to Sina Finance, Qatar Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the damaged gas-to-liquids unit is expected to finish repairs in the first quarter of 2027, while repairs to two damaged LNG trains could take as long as three years.

At the end of August, QatarEnergy extended force majeure on some buyers' contracts until early November. Al-Kaabi said at the Qatar Economic Forum that Qatar had historically been a reliable producer and supplier and had never defaulted on cargoes, but that the situation was entirely beyond its control.

He also said Qatar has no plan to build a new pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Kaabi said the option would require transporting gas by pipeline and then liquefying it at receiving terminals, which would amount to duplicating facilities already planned under the North Field expansion project.

Qatar is also working to expand its role as a global LNG trader. With the Golden Pass LNG export project in the United States coming online, more of Qatar's trade volume will not pass through the Gulf region. Al-Kaabi said Qatar will become the world's largest LNG trader in the near future.