Trump Privately Approved Israeli South Pars Strike While Publicly Warning Israel and Iran After Retaliatory Energy Attacks
U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios that the Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field was coordinated with and approved by the White House, contradicting President Trump’s public assertions that “the United States knew nothing” and that Israel “acted alone.” After Iran retaliated with strikes on Gulf energy facilities — including attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan and other regional targets that have sent oil prices sharply higher and drawn broad condemnation — Trump publicly warned both Israel and Iran, ordered Israel not to hit South Pars again, and threatened to “massively blow up the entirety” of the field if Iran attacks Qatari infrastructure again.
📌 Key Facts
- Israeli forces struck Iran’s South Pars natural gas field; the strike is reported to have killed Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail (Esmaeil) Khatib, following earlier targeted killings of figures including Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani.
- Qatar blamed Israel for the South Pars strike and the UAE called the attack a “dangerous escalation”; Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex was later struck and set ablaze amid the wider exchange of attacks.
- Iran retaliated with strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure across the region — including Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE — and has made passage through the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable, with only a few ships reportedly getting through.
- The energy market reacted sharply: Brent crude jumped about 5% to over $108 per barrel (roughly a 50% rise since the war began on Feb. 28), and news coverage says the newest wave of strikes is already impacting oil and gas markets.
- Axios reports that U.S. and Israeli officials told them the Israeli strike on South Pars was coordinated with and approved by the White House, a claim that contradicts President Trump’s public statements that the U.S. “knew nothing” about the operation and that Israel “acted alone.”
- Qatari officials, after initial attacks on Ras Laffan, urgently contacted a White House envoy and CENTCOM commanders seeking to know whether the U.S. had prior knowledge of the Israeli strike, triggering a scramble to arrange a Trump–emir call.
- President Trump publicly threatened on Truth Social that the U.S. would “massively blow up the entirety” of the South Pars gas field if Iran continued attacking Qatar’s LNG facilities, declared that “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL” on South Pars unless Iran strikes again, said any U.S. strike could occur “with or without the help or consent of Israel,” and also expressed reluctance to authorize such destruction because of its long-term implications.
- The conflict has prompted regional and diplomatic responses: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promised unspecified “significant surprises,” at least two people were reported killed near Tel Aviv in Iranian attacks, the U.S. expressed frustration that allies had not sent warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and a joint statement from 12 Arab and Islamic foreign ministers condemned Iran’s attacks and called for de‑escalation.
📊 Relevant Data
The South Pars gas field accounts for more than 70% of Iran's natural gas production, making it a critical component of the country's energy infrastructure and economy.
The engineering feat behind Iran's record gas output — Press TV
Qatar accounts for about 20% of global LNG exports, with its supplies critical for balancing markets in Asia and Europe.
Qatar's role in the global gas market — Reuters
Pro-Israel lobbying groups spend approximately $3.8 million annually on influencing US policy, including towards Iran.
Does Israel control the USA? – Iran War Briefing #8 — Counterfire
Black Americans experience the nation's highest unemployment rate at 7.7%, making them disproportionately impacted by rising gas prices due to lower wages and higher economic vulnerability.
Rising gas prices, likely disproportionately impacting Black Americans — Yahoo
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 19, 2026
1:19 PM
Trump warns Israel and Iran after strikes on energy facilities
New information:
- CBS reports that Trump has now issued public warnings directed at both Israel and Iran following Iranian strikes that set Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility ablaze.
- The segment ties those warnings directly to the visible damage at Ras Laffan and reiterates the causal sequence: Israeli strike on South Pars, followed by Iranian retaliation on regional energy targets.
- It highlights that the newest wave of strikes is already “impacting the oil and gas markets,” signaling fresh market pressure beyond earlier price spikes.
12:32 PM
Trump threatens key Iranian gas field after Israeli strike
New information:
- Fox article reproduces more of Trump’s Truth Social wording, including his description that 'a relatively small section of the whole has been hit' at South Pars and that he says 'NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL' on the field unless Iran again attacks Qatar’s LNG facilities.
- It explicitly quotes Trump asserting that 'the United States knew nothing' about Israel’s South Pars strike and that Qatar 'was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it,' providing his public narrative about ignorance of the operation.
- The piece pairs Trump’s threat with his public rebuttal to former NCTC Director Joe Kent, quoting Trump as saying 'it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was,' sharpening how Trump is framing the war’s rationale.
12:31 PM
12 Arab and Islamic countries unite to condemn 'heinous' Iranian attacks
New information:
- Confirms timing and context: ties Trump’s threat to "massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field" directly to renewed Iranian attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex and Saudi/Qatari energy infrastructure.
- Provides the specific quoted passage from Trump’s Truth Social post warning the U.S. could respond "with or without the help or consent of Israel" if Qatar’s LNG facilities are targeted again.
- Places the Trump threat alongside a new joint statement from 12 Arab and Islamic foreign ministers condemning Iran’s attacks and calling for de‑escalation, showing how U.S. rhetoric is perceived amid regional diplomacy.
7:46 AM
Iran War Live Updates: Qatar Reports More Attacks on Energy Infrastructure as Oil Prices Rise
New information:
- Trump now explicitly tells reporters that Israel “acted alone” in the South Pars strike and did not inform the United States, while reiterating that Qatar was not involved.
- He again threatens to destroy the entire South Pars field if Qatar’s energy facilities are attacked again, this time directly in the context of fresh Iranian strikes on Ras Laffan and Qatari LNG sites.
- The timing anchors his comments to Wednesday night, just before the Thursday reporting of continued attacks and Qatari retaliation via expulsions.
7:37 AM
Tehran intensifies attacks on Gulf energy facilities after Israel hits Iranian gas field
New information:
- Explicit public quote from Trump threatening that the U.S. would ‘massively blow up the entirety’ of the South Pars gas field if Iran continues striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure.
- Context that he pairs this with a statement that Israel ‘would not attack South Pars again,’ framing any future massive strike on the field as a U.S. decision, not an Israeli one.
- Trump adds that he does not want to authorize that ‘level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,’ signaling awareness of the potential humanitarian and geopolitical fallout.
3:18 AM
After Tehran strikes, Trump says Israel won't attack Iran gas fields anymore
New information:
- Axios reports that Israeli and U.S. officials say the Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars natural gas facility was coordinated with and approved by the White House, contradicting Trump’s later public claim that 'the United States knew nothing about this particular attack.'
- Qatari officials, after Iran’s first missile strike on Ras Laffan, urgently contacted White House envoy Steve Witkoff and CENTCOM commanders demanding to know whether the U.S. had prior knowledge of the Israeli strike, triggering a scramble to arrange a Trump–emir call.
- In a Truth Social post after Iran’s second attack on Qatari gas facilities, Trump declared that 'NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL' on the South Pars field unless Iran again attacks 'a very innocent Qatar,' and warned that if Iran does, the U.S. will 'massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field' with unprecedented force.
- Trump framed the original Israeli strike as Israel having 'violently lashed out' 'out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East,' and explicitly asserted Qatar 'was in no way, shape, or form, involved,' even as U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios his claim that Washington was unaware is inaccurate.
March 18, 2026
7:44 PM
Both sides in Iran war ratchet up attacks as oil prices surge
New information:
- Confirms that Israeli forces killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail (Esmaeil) Khatib in an overnight strike, along with earlier killings of Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani.
- Reports Iran struck Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and also attacked Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the same day, explicitly framing this as a strategy to drive up oil prices.
- Notes that Iran has made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable, with only a few ships (including some from India and Turkey) getting through, while Iran claims the waterway is closed only to the U.S. and many allies.
- Updates oil market data: Brent crude has surged another 5% to over $108 per barrel and is now up close to 50% since the war began on Feb. 28.
- Adds that the U.S. Treasury Department has just eased sanctions on Venezuela, allowing U.S. companies to do business with PDVSA to boost global oil supplies and counter Iran‑war‑driven price spikes.
- Reports that Qatar blames Israel for the strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and that the UAE’s Foreign Ministry denounced the attack as a “dangerous escalation.”
- Quotes Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promising unspecified “significant surprises” after Khatib’s killing and notes two people were killed near Tel Aviv in Iranian attacks.
- Describes President Trump’s growing frustration that allies have not sent warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.