Politics Trump threatens Iran with massive attack on gas field
US President Donald Trump is threatening Iran with a massive bombing of an important gas field - and at the same time appears to be trying to limit the damage after Israel's attack on it.
19.03.2026, 06:21
SDA
There will be an attack by the US military if Iran continues to attack Qatar's gas industry, he wrote on Truth Social. In this case, he threatened an attack "with a strength and power that Iran has never seen before".
At the same time, he emphasized that Israel would not attack the South Pars gas field again after its attack the previous day - as long as Iran did not target energy facilities in Qatar again.
Iran attacks gas plant in Qatar
Following Israel's attack on Wednesday, Iran threatened to attack gas fields and refineries. According to official information, Iran attacked several liquid gas plants in the Ras Laffan industrial area in Qatar early this morning. The plants, which are important for the global market, were severely damaged, as the operator Qatar Energy announced on the X platform. The Ministry of Interior later stated that the fires had been brought under control. There were no casualties.
According to information from Doha, the industrial area had already been attacked by Iran with missiles on Wednesday evening. Qatar is one of the largest gas producers in the world and plays a key role in the global supply of liquefied natural gas, which is mainly shipped to Ras Laffan.
Following the latest attacks, Qatar declared the military and security attachés of the Iranian embassy and their staff to be undesirables and expelled them from the country.
Oil price continues to rise
Meanwhile, the authorities in the United Arab Emirates closed an oil and gas plant in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi following a rocket attack. The government in Abu Dhabi announced that falling debris as a result of an air defense mission had led to "incidents", without giving further details of the damage. According to the statement, the Habshan gas plant and an oil field called Bab were affected.
The oil price continued to rise in early trading. The price of a barrel (159 liters) of Brent crude for delivery in April, which is relevant for Europe, rose at times to 112 US dollars. Before the war, a barrel still cost around 70 dollars - an increase of around 60 percent. The price of gas has also risen significantly recently.
Qatar: Iran has crossed all red lines
With its targeted attacks on civilian objects and vital facilities in countries in the region, Iran has "crossed all red lines", declared the Foreign Ministry in Doha.
Iran's President Massud Peseschkian had previously warned of an escalation on Platform X. The "aggressive actions" would not benefit Israel, the USA and their allies, but would exacerbate the situation. They could have "uncontrollable consequences" that would have a global impact. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that a new stage of escalation had begun. The principle of "an eye for an eye" applies.
Trump: Had no knowledge of Israel's attack
Trump wrote that Israel had attacked the "South Pars" gas field "out of anger at the events in the Middle East". He emphasized that the United States knew nothing about this attack. Qatar had not been involved in any way. Unfortunately, Iran had attacked Qatar's liquefied natural gas facilities "unjustifiably and unfairly".
"THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER ATTACKS BY ISRAEL on this extremely important and valuable South Pars field," Trump wrote further, partly in capital letters. Unless "Iran unwisely decides to attack a totally innocent party, in this case Qatar". Then there would be a massive attack - with or without Israel's help, Trump wrote. He did not actually want to order such an extent of "violence and destruction" because of the long-term consequences for Iran.
The South Pars gas field, which Iran and Qatar exploit separately, provides around 70 percent of Iran's gas supply.
Attacks on ships in the Middle East
Meanwhile, off the coast of Qatar and in the Gulf of Oman, one ship each was hit by an unknown projectile. Following the attack in the Persian Gulf around eight kilometers off the gas port of Ras Laffan, all crew members are safe and well, according to the UK Merchant Shipping Safety Office (UKMTO).
In the incident south of the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, a fire broke out on board as a result of the shelling, according to the UKMTO. Further details of the two incidents were not initially known.
Iran, which is under attack from the USA and Israel, has recently repeatedly attacked ships in the region. As a result, shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, has practically come to a standstill.
Macron calls for suspension of attacks on energy facilities
Following talks with Trump and the Emir of Qatar, France called for a suspension of attacks on oil and gas facilities. This is in the common interest, wrote head of state Emmanuel Macron on X. The water supply must not become a target either. "The civilian population and its basic needs, just like the energy supply, must be protected from military escalation."
Saudi Arabia called on Iran to cease its attacks on neighboring Gulf states. Iran's attacks on its neighbors would have consequences, said Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan after consultations with the foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic states in the capital Riyadh, according to the Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera. Iran was only isolating itself further with its behavior. All means - political, economic, diplomatic - will be used to stop these attacks.
Iran also continues to attack Saudi Arabia
According to the Ministry of Defense, Saudi Arabia was again attacked by drones after the ministerial meeting. Previously, four people had been injured in Riyadh by falling debris from a ballistic missile, as the state news agency Spa reported, citing a civil defense spokesperson. The debris had fallen on a residential area.
Meanwhile, Iran again attacked its arch-enemy Israel with missiles during the night. In the evening, a foreign worker was killed in an Iranian attack there, according to the emergency services. Israel's army reported several strikes in the center of the country. According to the media, rocket fragments also hit a residential building in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv.
According to Palestinian reports, three women were also killed in an Iranian rocket attack in the West Bank. Seven other Palestinian women were injured, one of whom is in mortal danger, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
