So, here I was, sitting in a plush, air-conditioned bus following the entourage of Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. It is a mild, mid-seventies day in February 1997 in this totally arid Qatari desert where summer temperatures could top 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

In less than an hour, the Emir will formally inaugurate Qatargas, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Ras Laffan, a built-from-the-scratch port and industrial city, 43 miles northeast of Qatar’s capital, Doha.

I was among numerous reporters and dignitaries from around the world invited to this historic event. In a few years, this launch would catapult this tiny, thumb-shaped peninsula in the Persian Gulf to be one of the richest countries in the world. Qatar will also be home to the United State’s largest military base in the Middle East.

Fast forward to March 18, 2026. An Iranian missile hits Ras Laffan cutting off 17 percent of LNG production and causing annual losses of over $20 billion over the next 5 years. Watching this attack on television was truly gut wrenching and tragic.

Around 30 years ago, I was there on a beautiful, tranquil day watching a country take its first step towards creating energy security for a better world. I vividly remember the gleaming face of Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Qatar’s then energy minister. What would Al-Attiyah be thinking today?

A flamboyant, press-friendly minister, Al-Attiyah would beam with pride talking about the progress of this venture at every stage. As energy minister from 1992 to 2011 and later the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, he had personally spearheaded this venture.

In his eyes, you could see the determination to take this once pearl hunting country on to the global stage. In 1997, Qatar’s GDP increased 30 percent, thanks to this venture. By the 2000s, Qatar had grown dramatically and according to the IMF, GDP is set to grow by 6.1% this year.

To me, when the missile hit, almost three decades returned in a second. I could remember every single detail from where I parked my first car, a sky blue Honda Civic Shuttle, and the clothes I wore to witness this historic event.

Why did this happen? I am not a Middle East analyst or one of those armchair talking heads on television. I was just a reporter writing on oil and gas across the Persian Gulf. Watching the missiles hit Ras Laffan was traumatic- you were there when it all began.

A tiny country was taking baby steps, making it’s first bold move in the global economy. Qatar was taking huge risks and betting on clean gas for a sustainable future for all.

Qatari’s are simple, generous people despite having one of the world’s largest per-capita incomes. Like the rare Arabian Oryx, this tiny country is resilient.

Qatar Gas is now QatarEnergy LNG, the world’s largest LNG company producing 77 million metric tons of LNG annually and selling it worldwide.

Looking back at that almost picture perfect day in 1997, all I can think is the impermanence of our existence.