Israel attacked Iran gas field without US and Qatari involvement, Trump says

Follow our live coverage here.

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said late on March 18 that the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field was carried out by Israel without the involvement of the US and Qatar.

He also said Israel would stop attacking Iranian facilities in South Pars. But he warned that the US would attack those facilities if Iran acts against Qatar.

“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape or form involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the South Pars attack.

According to the Wall Street Journal and Axios, Mr Trump knew of Israel’s plan to attack the Iranian part of the world’s largest natural gas deposit in advance and supported it. Iran shares the South Pars field with Qatar, a close US ally.

Iran said earlier that Israel struck ​its facilities in South Pars on March 18 in a major escalation of the US-Israeli war on Iran that sent oil prices shooting higher.

Tehran retaliated by promising attacks on oil and gas targets throughout ‌the Gulf, firing missiles at Saudi Arabia and also hitting Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, an energy-industry hub.

Qatar rebuked Israel for a “dangerous and irresponsible” attack on Iran’s South ​Pars facilities, and condemned Iran for what it called “a flagrant breach” of international law, expelling two senior Iranian diplomats.

Mr Trump wrote on social media that Iran “unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility”.

“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar - In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field,” he said.

The US and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb 28. The attacks have killed thousands in Iran, including its supreme leader and security chief.

Tehran has responded with its own attacks against Israel and Gulf countries that host US military bases. The war has shaken markets and caused unprecedented disruption to oil supplies fuelling a surge in prices. REUTERS