Smoke rises after an Israeli strike in the Bachhoura neighborhood of central Beirut, as tensions escalated between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 12, 2026.
Claudia Greco | reuters
US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that if Iran continued targeting Qatar’s energy facilities, the US would “massively blow up the entire South Pars gas field.”
Tehran has attacked energy facilities in Qatar after Israel bombed the South Pars gas facility in Iran, signaling a sharp escalation in the conflict and sending energy prices rising.
Qatar said on Wednesday that Iranian missiles caused “extensive damage” to the industrial city of Ras Laffan, which is home to the largest liquefied natural gas or LNG export facility in the world.
Trump also denied any prior knowledge of Israel attacking South Pars and rejected reports that the attack was coordinated and approved by his administration.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Trump said that “the United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was not involved in any way, shape, or form, nor did it have any idea that it was about to occur.”
Trump also urged Israel to cease attacks on the South Pars gas field unless Iran “unwisely” decides to attack Qatar. In that case, the US would “blow up the entire South Pars gas field with a force and power that Iran has never seen or experienced before.”
The attack on South Pars – the world’s largest natural gas reserve, shared between Iran and Qatar – marked first time Israel has targeted Iranian natural gas production infrastructure since the conflict began on February 28.
Iran has fired ballistic missiles In Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial city, QatarEnergy said the attack caused “extensive damage” The deployment of emergency response teams to control the fire at the site was guaranteed. There is no information about any casualty.
Separately, Reuters informed On Thursday, the US government was considering deploying thousands of US troops to the Middle East, raising the possibility of further tensions.
World leaders are struggling to contain the Middle East conflict as tensions rise, amid fears of deepening turmoil in global energy markets.
Europe has called for reducing tensions
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate end to the targeting of civilian infrastructure after a phone conversation with Qatar’s emir and Trump.
“It is in our common interest to stop attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, especially energy and water supply facilities, without delay,” he said in a post on Twitter on Thursday.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadefull warned on Wednesday “The most serious crisis” According to local media reports, if global supply chains continue to be disrupted, the US and Israel will be called upon to adopt a path towards de-escalation and cessation of hostilities after achieving their military objectives.
Gulf countries sounded the alarm
UAE calls targeting of energy facilities linked to South Pars field in Iran a step “severe growth,” posing a “direct threat to global energy security” with serious environmental consequences.
The UAE Foreign Ministry also condemned Iran’s targeting of its Habshan gas facility and Bab field. “Terrorist attack,” Risking “dangerous escalation”.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari described the Israeli attack on South Pars “A dangerous and irresponsible move” Amidst increasing regional tension.
The Gulf country has declared the Iranian military and security attache and his staff at the Iranian embassy in Doha “persona non grata,” He was ordered to leave the country within 24 hours.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was also seen in a strict tone. Allegedly Saying that “what little trust there was with Iran has been completely broken.” He said both political and non-political responses to Iran remain on the table.
Iran vowed to retaliate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to escalate hostilities Following the Israeli attack on South Pars, targeting oil and gas facilities across the Gulf. Tehran also warned Five facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar “will be targeted in the coming hours.”
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Increasing attacks on Middle East gas production facilities have deepened the energy supply disruptions caused by the conflict.
crude oil As of 10:25 p.m. ET, May futures rose 4% to $111.77 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate April futures rose 1.3% to $97.56 a barrel.
Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – accounting for one-fifth of global oil supplies and a significant portion of LNG exports – has fallen since the war began, with the waterway effectively closed to most commercial shipping.
