President Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” Iran’s South Pars gas field if Iran continues attacking Qatar, as a series of intensifying strikes on oil and gas facilities have drawn Persian Gulf states further into the war and sent energy prices soaring.
In a lengthy post on Truth Sociallate Wednesday, Trump appeared to distance the United States from an Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field — the world’s largest — earlier in the day, saying Israel carried out the attack “out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East.”
“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,” Trump said, adding that Iran “unfairly” attacked a Qatari gas facility in retaliation.
“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL” on the South Pars field unless Iran attacked Qatar, Trump said, in which case the U.S. would “massively blow up the entirety” of the gas field with “amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.”
“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,” he wrote.
The post followed a series of strikes on Wednesday that jolted energy markets and further embroiled Persian Gulf nations in the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. After Israel struck Iran’s South Pars field, Iran fired back with missile attacks that caused “extensive damage” at a major Qatari gas facility, according to Qatar’s state-owned energy company.
“An eye for an eye equation is in effect, and a new level of confrontation has begun,” said Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf following the attack on South Pars on Wednesday.
Oil prices soared on Thursday morning, with the price of Brent crude climbing past $117 per barrel, as Gulf states reported more missile and drone attacks on critical infrastructure.
In Kuwait, two refineries were targeted by drones, causing fires, Kuwait National Petroleum Company said.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said it was assessing damage after a drone strike at the Samref refinery and announced the interception of a ballistic missile launched toward the port of Yanbu, on the Red Sea.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry saidit had contained most of the fires at the Ras Laffan complex with no injuries reported and was working to secure the site.
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