Republican says the US and Qatar did not know that Israel would attack South Pars, the world’s largest gas reserve
The President of the United States, (Republican Party), stated on Wednesday (18 March 2026) that, but that the United States and Qatar were not involved and did not even know about the operation.
“Israel, out of anger at what has been happening in the Middle East, violently struck a large facility known as the South Pars gas field in Iran. The US knew nothing about this particular attack, and Qatar was not involved in any way nor had any idea it would occur.”declared Trump in one on the Truth Social platform.
The Republican said that Israel will no longer attack South Pars, which is in the Persian Gulf. It is the largest gas reserve in the world, with administration divided between Iran and Qatar.
“Unfortunately, Iran did not know this or any other facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of the LNG facility [gás natural liquefeito] from Qatar. No further attacks will be made by Israel against this very important and valuable South Pars field unless Iran decides to attack the very innocent Qatar – in which case the US, with or without Israel’s help or consent, will massively blow up the entire South Pars field with an amount of force and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.”Trump wrote.
“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long-term implications it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar LNG is attacked again, I will not hesitate to do so.”threatened the US president.
On Wednesday (18 March), in response to the attack on South Pars, Iran launched missiles at targets in the Gulf, including shots towards Saudi Arabia and attacks against energy facilities in Qatar, according to the British newspaper.
Earlier, Qatar reported that an Iranian missile caused “extensive damage” in the industrial city of Ras Laffan, where the country’s main LNG processing hub is located. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted an attack on a gas installation in the east of the country.
EFFECTS OF WAR
After the attacks, Brent Crude oil fell around 5% to surpass $108 per barrel, while financial markets retreated on fears of lasting damage to the Gulf’s energy infrastructure.
The Director of US National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, told a Congressional hearing that Iran’s government remains operational, despite the war that began on February 28, and that it still has the capacity to attack the interests of the United States and allies in the region.
The conflict has already interrupted part of maritime transport in the , through which around 20% of the oil and liquefied natural gas sold in the world passes.
