US President Donald Trump said Israel “violently lashed out” by striking Iran’s major South Pars gas field but warned there would be no further Israeli attacks on the facility unless Iran retaliated. He also said the United States did not have prior knowledge of the strike and that Qatar was not involved.
Wednesday’s attack on South Pars, part of the world’s largest gas deposit shared between Iran and Qatar, pushed oil prices higher and prompted Iran to threaten strikes on oil and gas targets across the Gulf while launching missiles toward Qatar and Saudi Arabia. QatarEnergy reported extensive damage at Ras Laffan Industrial City, which processes roughly a fifth of global LNG supply. The company later said fires and significant damage hit several LNG facilities in early Thursday attacks.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh and foiled a drone strike on an eastern gas facility. Iran’s missiles also targeted the Saudi capital during the escalation.
Trump posted on X that Israel had acted out of anger over recent events in the Middle East and that Iran “did not know” the relevant facts about the South Pars attack, leading Iran to unjustifiably strike part of Qatar’s LNG infrastructure. He warned that “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this . . . South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar,” and added that the US, with or without Israeli consent, would “massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field” if Iran attacked Qatar.
Earlier reports, including from the Wall Street Journal, said Trump had approved Israel’s plan to hit the gas field.
Since the conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28, Tehran has targeted Israel, US diplomatic and military sites across the Gulf, and warned neighbors against hosting attacks on Iran. With tensions rising, US officials and others familiar with planning say Trump is considering sending thousands more US troops to the Middle East, potentially to help secure passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about one-fifth of global oil trade.
Foreign ministers from 12 Muslim-majority countries meeting in Riyadh condemned Iran’s strikes on Gulf neighbours and called for an immediate halt, saying attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil facilities, airports and desalination plants are unjustifiable. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned the pressure from Iran could backfire and countries reserve the right to take military action if necessary. Interceptor launches were observed near the Riyadh hotel where the meeting took place.
The UAE said it shut down its Habshan gas facility after intercepting missiles it blamed on Iran. Human rights group HRANA estimates more than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began. Lebanese authorities report about 900 dead and around 800,000 displaced. Iranian strikes have also killed people in Iraq and across Gulf states, and at least 13 US service members have been killed in the conflict.
