Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field on March 18 has dramatically escalated the conflict, marking the first direct strike against the heart of Iran’s energy infrastructure. The assault prompted retaliatory missile attacks from Tehran targeting energy facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, increasing regional instability and exposing tensions among allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that he had no prior knowledge of the Israeli strike, a claim that contradicts reports from U.S. News outlets. According to multiple sources, including Axios, Israeli officials and U.S. Sources confirmed the attack was coordinated with the White House and approved by the Trump administration.
The alleged coordination between Israel and the U.S. Aimed to deter Iran from disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, sources said. Following Iran’s initial response targeting Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas terminal, Qatari officials reportedly contacted the White House, CENTCOM, and other senior administration officials demanding clarification on whether the U.S. Was aware of the impending Israeli attack.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, asserted that the United States “knew nothing” about the attack, and that Qatar was not involved and unaware it was going to happen. He added that Israel would not conduct further attacks on South Pars unless Iran “unwisely” attacked Qatar. Should Iran attack Qatar, Trump threatened the U.S. Would “massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field.”
The South Pars gas field, the world’s largest known reserve of natural gas with approximately 1,800 trillion cubic feet, is critical to Iran’s energy supply, powering electricity generation and the petrochemical industry. It is shared with Qatar, where it is known as North Dome. Any disruption to its production could have significant global consequences, impacting energy prices and potentially triggering a wider energy crisis.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes caused “considerable damage” to Ras Laffan, Qatar’s major LNG facility, according to QatarEnergy. Fires were subsequently contained. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks as crossing “all red lines” by targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.
Further attacks targeted Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. A drone struck the Samref refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, which has a processing capacity of over 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. In Kuwait, two refineries – Mina Abdullah and Mina Al Ahmadi – were impacted by drone attacks, causing fires that were later controlled. The combined processing capacity of the two Kuwaiti refineries is 800,000 barrels per day.
The attack on South Pars involved precision strikes targeting key processing and refining facilities in the Asaluyeh region on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast. Explosions impacted gas separation units and port infrastructure, leading to partial production shutdowns. Iranian authorities acknowledged significant damage and production disruptions, while energy sector sources estimated a substantial portion of supply was temporarily offline.
Ambassador Juan Álvarez Vita noted that Israel’s attack on South Pars introduces a high degree of uncertainty into the conflict by targeting critical infrastructure not considered a conventional military objective. He questioned Trump’s claim of being unaware of the attack, stating it was “strange” for a close ally to act unilaterally without coordination with the United States.
Álvarez Vita suggested Trump’s statements may be a political strategy to distance the U.S. From the escalation or to appease key allies like Qatar, which was directly affected by Iran’s retaliation. He warned that the Gulf states are “caught between two fires,” and that the incident could strain relations within the allied bloc and increase the sense of vulnerability in the region. He also noted the economic repercussions, with energy prices already impacted and the potential for a broader economic crisis.
As of Wednesday, the Trump administration had not responded to requests for further comment on the coordination of the attack, and Qatar has not publicly addressed the extent of the damage to its LNG facilities.