U.S. Asks Israel to Halt Further Strikes on Iranian Oil Facilities Over Civilian Harm and Oil‑Price Risks
After Israeli airstrikes that hit about 30 fuel depots around Tehran — producing massive fires, thick smoke over the capital and reported civilian casualties — the U.S. formally asked Israel to halt further strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and to provide advance notice of any future oil‑facility attacks. Washington argued such strikes harm ordinary Iranians, risk spooking global oil markets and could provoke retaliatory attacks on Gulf energy and other civilian infrastructure amid a widening regional fight that has included attacks on desalination plants.
📌 Key Facts
- The U.S. formally asked Israel to halt further strikes on Iranian energy facilities, particularly oil infrastructure, and to provide advance notice of any future oil‑facility strikes.
- Washington gave three reasons for the request: the strikes harm ordinary Iranians, the Trump administration wants to preserve the ability to cooperate with Iran’s oil sector after the war, and further attacks could provoke massive Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure and spike oil prices.
- Israel struck around 30 fuel/oil depots in and around Tehran (including strikes on depots inside the city) for the first time, causing massive fires, thick smoke and environmental alerts, and killing at least four tanker drivers at a civilian oil storage site.
- U.S. officials warned that visuals of burning depots could roil oil markets (prices already above $100 a barrel) and cited Iranian warnings that continued hits on energy sites could drive prices much higher; senior U.S. figures publicly distanced the U.S. from the Israeli depot strikes.
- Iranian political and military leaders — including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and a Khatam al‑Anbiya spokesman — threatened rapid retaliation if attacks on infrastructure continue, and Iran signaled it could target regional sites used by U.S. forces.
- Attacks on civilian infrastructure are widening: a desalination plant in Bahrain was damaged in a drone strike (Bahrain blames Iran), Iran’s foreign minister framed that strike as a response to a reported U.S. strike on Iran’s Qeshm desalination plant, and Israel struck a hotel in central Beirut with multiple Lebanese deaths and large displacements reported.
- The region has suffered significant casualties and diplomatic blowback, with updated tolls reporting at least 1,230 killed in Iran, 397 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel and six U.S. troops killed; Saudi Arabia reported its first conflict deaths and the Arab League condemned Iran’s attacks.
- U.S. and Israeli officials are expected to address their disagreement over targeting energy infrastructure at senior political levels; some U.S. officials publicly distanced themselves from the depot strikes while others urged Israeli caution, and Trump reportedly views strikes on energy infrastructure as a 'doomsday option' to be used only in extreme circumstances.
📊 Relevant Data
Hispanic households in the US spend 20% more of their income on energy costs compared to White households, contributing to higher energy burden in minority communities.
Report: Low-Income Households, Communities of Color Face High 'Energy Burden' — ACEEE
In 2022, Hispanics/Latinos made up 18.9% of active duty US military personnel, with higher concentrations in the Marines (21.3%) and Army (19.7%), compared to their 18.7% share of the US population.
Military Diversity Statistics: Market Data Report 2026 — Gitnux
Displacement of just 10% of Iran's population (approximately 9 million people) due to the war could generate refugee movements rivaling the largest in recent decades.
Iran-US war could lead to the largest refugee crisis in decades, EU agency warns — The Independent
A majority of Americans (56%) oppose US military action in Iran, with opposition higher among those under 35 (67%) compared to older age groups.
War with Iran, March 2026 — Marist Poll
Economic pressures, political tensions, and stricter migration policies in Iran have driven increased deportations and migration, particularly among Afghan populations.
How The Iran Conflict May Fuel A New International Refugee Crisis — Forbes
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 10, 2026
6:25 PM
Scoop: U.S. asks Israel to halt strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure
New information:
- Axios reports that on Monday the Trump administration formally asked Israel not to conduct further strikes on Iranian energy facilities, particularly oil infrastructure, and to provide advance notice of any future oil‑facility strikes.
- Sources say the U.S. gave Israel three reasons: the strikes harm ordinary Iranians who largely oppose the regime; Trump wants to be able to cooperate with Iran’s oil sector after the war, similar to Venezuela; and further attacks could provoke massive Iranian retaliation on Gulf energy infrastructure.
- A source says Trump views strikes on Iran’s energy and oil facilities as a 'doomsday option' to be used only if Iran deliberately attacks Gulf oil facilities first, and that his '20 times harder' Truth Social threat referenced destroying 'easily destroyable targets' that could prevent Iran from rebuilding as a nation.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly distanced the U.S. from the earlier Israeli fuel‑depot strikes, saying Tuesday morning that the U.S. has not attacked such targets, while Sen. Lindsey Graham, a vocal war supporter, publicly urged Israeli caution so as not to cripple Iran’s future oil‑based recovery.
March 09, 2026
2:09 PM
The war in Iran has entered a second week. Here's where things stand
New information:
- Reports that Israel has struck oil depots in Tehran itself, producing thick smoke and environmental alerts, not just fuel sites around Tehran or other regions.
- Notes that these depots are being hit alongside other infrastructure strikes, contributing to already spiking oil prices above $100 a barrel.
- Reinforces that the strikes have visible civilian‑area effects, as smoke and alerts affect large urban populations.
March 08, 2026
8:23 PM
Scoop: U.S. dismayed by Israel's Iran fuel strikes, sources say
New information:
- Israel’s air force struck 30 Iranian fuel depots on Saturday around Tehran, causing massive fires and heavy smoke visible across the capital.
- U.S. officials say Israel gave advance notice but the operation was much more wide‑ranging than Washington expected; a senior U.S. official is quoted saying, “We don’t think it was a good idea,” and an Israeli official says the U.S. message to Israel was essentially “WTF.”
- U.S. officials are worried that visuals of burning depots, even though they are not production facilities, could spook oil markets and push prices higher, while Iranian military and political leaders publicly warn they could retaliate by striking regional fuel and energy infrastructure and drive oil toward $200 a barrel.
- Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and a spokesman for the Khatam al‑Anbiya military HQ both threaten rapid retaliation if infrastructure attacks continue, saying Iran has so far held back from hitting regional energy sites.
- U.S. officials expect this disagreement over fuel‑infrastructure targeting and escalation risks to be addressed at senior political levels between the two allies.
6:09 PM
Iran war's targets widen dangerously into civilian infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reports first deaths
New information:
- Bahrain publicly accuses Iran of striking one of its critical desalination plants, framing it as part of the widening war on civilian infrastructure.
- Saudi Arabia reports its first deaths in the conflict: two foreign residents (from India and Bangladesh) killed and 12 other Bangladeshis wounded when a military projectile hit a residential area.
- Updated cumulative death tolls: at least 1,230 killed in Iran, 397 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and six U.S. troops killed since the war began.
- Arab League chief Ahmed Abouel Gheit denounces Iran’s attacks on Arab states as a “reckless policy,” signaling regional diplomatic blowback against Tehran.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hardens his line after earlier apologies, vowing stronger responses to pressure and signaling continued attacks on sites in neighboring countries used by U.S. forces.
- The article reiterates Trump’s ABC comments that Iran’s next supreme leader will need U.S. approval and that any successor without it “is not going to last long,” underscoring explicit U.S. intent to shape Iran’s post‑war leadership.
2:14 PM
Attacks on Desalination Drag Water Supplies Into the War With Iran
New information:
- Confirms that an Iranian drone attack damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain and that Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported 'material damage' to the facility.
- Clarifies that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly framed the Bahraini strike as a response to what he says was a prior U.S. attack on an Iranian desalination plant on the island of Qeshm, saying 'The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.'
- Adds that Iran itself has not otherwise directly addressed responsibility for the Bahraini attack beyond Araghchi’s precedent-claim framing.
11:49 AM
Israel hits Iran's oil depots as clerics say consensus reached on Ayatollah successor
New information:
- Israel targeted an Iranian civilian oil storage facility near Tehran for the first time, with at least four tanker drivers reported killed by an Iranian news agency.
- Iran’s foreign minister said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant for the first time, in addition to Iran’s previously reported drone attack on a desalination plant in Bahrain.
- Israeli military publicly warned in Farsi that it would 'pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor' to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and vowed to target members of the Assembly of Experts overseeing the process.
- An Assembly of Experts member said a majority consensus has been reached on a new, still-unnamed Supreme Leader, with an announcement expected soon.
- Israel struck a hotel in central Beirut (the Ramada Plaza) for the first time since the Iran war began, as part of its intensified campaign against Hezbollah, with Lebanese officials reporting at least four dead and nearly 300 killed overall in Lebanon with tens of thousands displaced.