As Israel and Iran go scorched earth in attacks on Middle East energy facilities, President Donald Trump has offered Iran the choice between restraint and retaliation.
On Wednesday, Qatar sustained what it called “extensive damage” at Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export facility, as noted by CNBC.
Qatar has been a longtime Arab ally of the Trump administration.
Iran was retaliating for an attack by Israel on its South Pars Gas Field, the largest natural gas field in the world, according to the Associated Press. It also struck natural gas fields in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Because attacks on energy production cause global jitters and reactions that include higher gasoline prices in the United States, Trump called for a halt to the tit-for-tat strikes.
“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. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump then tried to walk a line between Qatar and Israel.
“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 wrote.
“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 continued.
Trump then offered his word that Iran’s energy production will not be targeted, unless Iran refuses to listen to reason.
“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar – In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” he wrote.
“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so.”
This is Qatar tonight.
They were the regime in Iran’s greatest ally in the region and consistently did Khamenei’s bidding.
But when push came to shove, none of that mattered and Qatar was bombed regardless.
Let this be a lesson.
Never trust a mullah. pic.twitter.com/wGlbmZlJuH
— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) March 18, 2026
As noted by CNN, domestic energy issues are a concern for the Trump administration.
Vice President J.D. Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will be speaking with energy sector leaders at the American Petroleum Institute’s meeting this week in Washington, D.C.
“We look forward to convening key officials — including Vice President Vance, Interior Secretary Burgum, Energy Secretary Wright, bipartisan leaders in Congress and governors — to discuss the role of American oil and natural gas in supporting reliable energy supply amid global volatility,” American Petroleum Institute representative Andrea Woods said.
Vance said higher gas prices are a “problem,” but said it was “a temporary blip” that would be addressed in the coming weeks.
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