Trump Presses Israel to Halt Further Strikes on Iranian Energy Sites After Privately Backing South Pars Attack
After an Israeli strike hit Iran’s South Pars gas field — an operation U.S. and Israeli officials say was coordinated with and approved by the White House even as President Trump publicly insisted the U.S. “knew nothing” and that Israel “acted alone” — Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on Gulf energy facilities and shipping, sharply driving up oil prices and disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. Privately having backed the South Pars operation, Trump pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu to halt further Israeli attacks (Netanyahu said Israel acted alone but agreed to hold off), while publicly warning he could “massively” destroy South Pars if Iran again struck Qatari LNG sites and U.S. and regional leaders scrambled diplomatic and military responses.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios the Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field was coordinated with and approved by the White House, but President Trump publicly said “the United States knew nothing” about the operation and later claimed Israel “acted alone.”
- Officials and reporting indicate the strike had U.S. backing in practice, yet Trump also told reporters he had complained to Prime Minister Netanyahu and urged Israel to avoid further attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure; Netanyahu said Israel acted alone but would “hold off on future attacks” at Trump’s request.
- In retaliation after the South Pars strike, Iran launched widespread attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure — including strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex, Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Kuwait’s Mina Al‑Ahmadi and hits reported in Bahrain and the UAE — and Iran has effectively made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable, according to reporting.
- PBS and other outlets reported that an overnight strike killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail (Esmaeil) Khatib, and noted earlier killings of former official Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani.
- President Trump issued forceful public warnings — including a Truth Social post and press comments — saying the U.S. could “massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field” if Iran again attacked Qatar’s energy facilities, adding the U.S. might act “with or without the help or consent of Israel,” while also saying he did not want to authorize that level of destruction because of long‑term consequences.
- The strikes and reprisals have pushed oil markets sharply higher: Brent crude jumped more than 5% to above $108 per barrel and is roughly 50% higher since the war began; CBS and PBS noted the newest wave of strikes is further impacting markets.
- The regional diplomatic fallout has been intense: Qatar publicly blamed Israel for the South Pars strike and urgently pressed U.S. officials for answers, the UAE condemned the attack as a “dangerous escalation,” a joint statement from 12 Arab and Islamic foreign ministers condemned Iran’s attacks and called for de‑escalation, and the U.S. has eased Venezuela sanctions to allow PDVSA business aimed at boosting global oil supplies.
📊 Relevant Data
Black households in the US bear an additional $1.6 billion in annual energy expenditures compared to other groups, even after controlling for socio-economic factors.
Racial disparities in the energy burden beyond socio-economic ... — ScienceDirect
Black and Latino households pay 13-18% more on average for energy per square foot of housing compared to White households.
Race, rates, and energy insecurity: exploring racial disparities in ... — Nature
Urea export prices in the Middle East have jumped about 40% to just above $700 per metric ton due to the Iran conflict.
How does the Iran war affect fertiliser supplies, prices and food ... — Reuters
Food insecurity rates are substantially higher for Black (around 19-21%), Hispanic (16-18%), and multiracial households compared to White households (around 8-10%), with energy price hikes contributing to increased food costs.
Food Insecurity Increased in 2022, With Severe Impact on ... — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act removed national origin quotas, leading to increased immigration from the Middle East, with Arab and Middle Eastern immigrants numbering about 250,000 in the post-1965 waves.
Arab and other Middle Eastern Americans in the United States of ... — Minority Rights Group
The Iranian population in the US grew more than fourfold from 1980 to 2024, reaching over 450,000 Iranian-born residents by recent estimates.
7 facts about Iranians in the U.S. | Pew Research Center — Pew Research Center
📰 Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 20, 2026
10:21 AM
Israel launches more strikes on Tehran as Iran continues attacks on Gulf oil facilities
New information:
- Trump told reporters he had complained directly to Netanyahu about Israel’s strike on the South Pars gas field and urged Israel to avoid further attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure because of the impact on global supplies.
- Netanyahu responded publicly by insisting Israel acted 'alone' on the South Pars strike but also stating that Israel will 'hold off on future attacks' on Iranian energy infrastructure at Trump’s request.
- The article confirms fresh Iranian attacks on energy facilities at Qatar’s Ras Laffan and Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi and air‑defense engagements over Dubai, underscoring how energy infrastructure has become a central battlefield despite Trump’s stated desire to keep oil and gas facilities out of the line of fire.
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.