'Israel won't attack unless....': Trump warns Iran after strikes target Qatar's LNG plant
PTC News Desk: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel will not carry out any further attacks, issueing a stern warning against targeting Qatar's energy infrastructure amid tit-for-tat strikes in the Middle East that skyrocketed global oil prices.
"Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran," he said in a post on Truth Social. "A relatively small section of the whole has been hit."
The remarks came after Tehran escalated strikes on its Persian Gulf neighbours' energy facilities, hitting the world's largest gas facilities in Qatar after Israel attacked Iran's South Pars offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) field that it shares with Doha.
Meanwhile Trump swiftly distanced US from the South Pars strikes, claiming it was solely an Israeli operation. "The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen," he said.
The remarks followed Iran’s warning of retaliation across the Gulf after the bombing of South Pars, widely considered the world’s largest natural gas field. In an official statement, Iranian authorities cautioned that five energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar would be targeted within hours.
Soon after, Iran carried out missile strikes early Thursday on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City—its primary liquefied natural gas hub—according to the country’s Ministry of Defence. The facility, a cornerstone of Qatar’s economy, has been repeatedly hit during the ongoing conflict.
"Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility," Trump said.
- With inputs from agencies
