United States President Donald Trump has said that Israel will not carry out further strikes on Iran’s major gas facility, following rising tensions in the Middle East after recent attacks on key energy infrastructure.
The statement followed an Israeli strike on the South Pars Gas Field, part of the world’s largest natural gas reservoir shared between Iran and Qatar.
Trump said Israel would stop attacking the facility if Iran halts strikes on energy installations in the Gulf region. However, he warned that the United States could take severe action if Tehran continues to target such infrastructure.
Iran had earlier launched retaliatory attacks on Gulf energy facilities, including damage to the Ras Laffan LNG Facility, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export terminals.
The attacks heightened fears of disruptions to global energy supply, pushing crude oil prices up by about five percent.
Trump also said the United States had no prior knowledge of Israel’s earlier strike on the South Pars gas field. However, reports from The Wall Street Journal suggested that the U.S. president had approved Israel’s plan to target the gas facility.
Iran has warned it could strike additional oil and gas installations across the Gulf region following the attack on its gas field, with missiles reportedly fired toward energy-related targets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
