A fire that broke out on a platform at Iran’s South Pars gas field, the world’s largest offshore natural gas field, has been contained, Iranian authorities have said. The fire started on Tuesday on the SPD14D platform in Phase 14 of the field and was extinguished quickly, according to the Pars Oil and Gas Company.
Seventeen workers jumped into the sea to save their lives when the fire broke out, according to Kourosh Dehghan, the director general of crisis management in Bushehr Province. Rescue operations were launched immediately, and all 17 workers were later taken aboard lifeboats and rescue craft and reported to be in good condition.
The platform was fully evacuated as a precaution, and Iran’s deputy oil minister said the situation was under control. Emergency services and safety teams were able to bring the fire under control, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, with officials considering a gas leak or an operational mishap as possible causes. The semi-official Fars news agency, which first reported the incident, said the authorities were examining both possibilities and had not ruled either out.
The affected platform produces 14.5 million cubic metres of gas a day, a small share of the South Pars field’s total production of more than 700 million cubic metres a day. The limited scale of the platform’s output means the fire is not expected to have a significant effect on Iran’s overall gas supply.
South Pars, which Iran shares with Qatar — where it is known as the North Field — is the world’s largest offshore natural gas field and the backbone of Iran’s domestic gas supply. Iran’s gas production totalled 276 billion cubic metres in 2024, of which 94 per cent was consumed domestically, according to data from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.
The fire is an operational accident, and it is distinct from the military attacks that have hit South Pars in the past. The field’s refineries were targeted during the June 2025 conflict, and again in strikes earlier this year, but the authorities have given no indication that Tuesday’s fire was caused by an attack.
It is also a separate incident from the explosions that hit oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Tuesday, which were reported to have been caused by mines. The two events happened on the same day in the same region, but they involve different facilities and different causes.
For Iran, the incident is a reminder of the risks involved in operating one of the world’s largest offshore gas complexes. South Pars has dozens of platforms and processing facilities, and maintaining safety across such a vast operation is a constant challenge, particularly as the field ages and as sanctions make it harder to obtain spare parts and equipment.
The authorities have said the platform will be inspected before it returns to service, and the investigation into the cause of the fire will continue. For the 17 workers who jumped into the sea, the incident ended without serious injury — a fortunate outcome for an event that could easily have been far worse.
