Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran Following Attack on Qatari Energy Infrastructure
Trump denied US involvement in the South Pars strike, warned Iran against targeting Qatar, and threatened massive retaliation if LNG facilities are attacked again.
from Kurdish news
US President Donald Trump issued a sharply worded statement warning of overwhelming retaliation following a strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, while denying any American involvement in the attack.
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In a post published on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said Israel had carried out the strike “out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East,” adding that only “a relatively small section” of the South Pars Gas Field had been hit.
Trump stressed that the United States had no prior knowledge of the attack and that Qatar was “in no way, shape, or form, involved with it,” nor aware it was going to happen.
He stated: “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.”
The US president warned that no further Israeli attacks would target the South Pars field unless Iran escalates by striking Qatar again. He added that any such move would trigger a decisive US response.
Trump said: “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 added that he does not want to authorize such a level of destruction due to its long-term consequences for Iran, but warned he “will not hesitate” if Qatar’s LNG facilities are targeted again.
There were also reports that Trump has shifted his position regarding attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure. According to the Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified US officials, the president no longer supports continued strikes on Iranian energy sites following the attack on facilities linked to the South Pars gas field.
The report indicated that Trump had initially backed the strike as a signal to Iran over tensions related to the Strait of Hormuz, but is now opposed to further escalation targeting energy infrastructure.
However, the report noted that Trump could reconsider his stance if Iran threatens or disrupts key oil and trade routes.
The statement comes as the region witnesses a sharp escalation. Iran struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, a key energy hub, causing extensive material damage and large fires, according to QatarEnergy. Emergency teams managed to contain the fires, and no casualties were reported among workers.
Saudi Arabia also reported intercepting and destroying four ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh, along with thwarting a drone attack targeting a gas facility in the country’s eastern region.
In response, Qatar condemned the strikes as a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to national security and regional stability. Doha stated that despite efforts to remain neutral, it had been deliberately targeted.
Qatar formally summoned Iran’s embassy and declared military and security attachés, along with relevant staff, persona non grata, giving them less than 24 hours to leave the country.
The ministry emphasized that the move followed repeated missile attacks on Qatari facilities, describing them as a violation of sovereignty. Doha also called on the UN Security Council to act and stressed its right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens under international law.
Reports also indicated that Iran’s Pars gas field had been struck earlier the same day, marking a further expansion of the confrontation, as Tehran had previously vowed to target oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf.
Trump’s warning underscores an attempt to contain the escalation ، while drawing a clear red line tied to the security of Qatar’s energy infrastructure.
Saudi FM warns Iran that patience in Gulf not ‘unlimited’ amid attacks
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister warns Iran that regional neighbours have ‘significant’ capabilities with which to respond to Tehran’s aggression.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has warned Iran that tolerance of its attacks on his country and those of neighbouring Gulf states is limited, calling on Tehran to immediately “recalculate” its strategy.
Warning that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have “very significant capacities and capabilities” that could be drawn on should they “choose to do so”, the foreign minister told a news conference early on Thursday that Iran had carefully planned its strategy for striking regional neighbours, despite denials from Tehran’s diplomats.
“The level of accuracy in some of this targeting – you can see it in our neighbours as well as the kingdom – indicates that this is something that was premeditated, preplanned, preorganised and well thought out,” Prince Faisal said.
“I’m not going to lay out what would and would not precipitate a defensive action by the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] because I think that is not a wise approach to signal to the Iranians,” the foreign minister continued.
“But I think it’s important for the Iranians to understand that the kingdom, but also its partners who have been attacked and beyond, have very significant capacities and capabilities that they could bring to bear should they choose to do so,” he said.
“The patience that is being exhibited is not unlimited. Do they [the Iranians] have a day, two, a week? I’m not going to telegraph that,” he added.
“I would hope they understand the message of the meeting today and recalculate quickly and stop attacking their neighbours. But I am doubtful they have that wisdom.”
Prince Faisal’s warning followed a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries in the Saudi capital earlier in the day to discuss the expanding war in the region, which on Wednesday saw Iranian attacks on Gulf energy sites, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility, where significant damage was reported, and the United Arab Emirates’ Habshan gas facility.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City”, located 80km (50 miles) northeast of the Qatari capital Doha, which is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility, producing some 20 percent of the world’s LNG supply.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned earlier that oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE would face retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield.
Iranian state media reported that facilities linked to the country’s huge offshore South Pars field – located off the coast of southern Iran’s Bushehr province – had come under attack.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence also said on Wednesday that its air defences had intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles that targeted Riyadh and two launched towards the country’s eastern region.
Air defences in the UAE dealt with 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones, according to the country’s Defence Ministry, while operations were suspended at the Habshan gas facility as authorities responded to incidents caused by fallen debris after the successful interception of a missile.
The Saudi foreign minister also told the news conference on Thursday that while the war will end one day, it will take much longer to restore relations with Iran as trust “has completely been shattered” due to Tehran’s tactics of targeting its neighbours.
“We know for a fact that Iran has been building this strategy over the last decade and beyond,” Prince Faisal said.
“This is not something that is a reaction to an evolving circumstance where Iran is improvising. This has been built into their war planning: targeting their neighbours and using that to try and put pressure on the international community,” he said.
“So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust,” he added.
MP: No agreement within the coordination framework on a prime ministerial candidate
Baghdad...
MP Duha al-Sadkhan confirmed on Wednesday that the Coordination Framework forces have not yet reached a final agreement on a prime ministerial candidate, noting that consultations among political leaders are ongoing.
Al-Sadkhan told the Information Agency that “discussions within the framework are still underway and have not yet reached a conclusion due to differing viewpoints,” indicating that “all options remain on the table.”
She added that "the security and political developments in the region have affected the course of the understandings, requiring more time to reach an agreement," pointing out that "the goal is to choose a candidate who enjoys broad acceptance and is capable of managing the next phase."
She indicated that "the current circumstances necessitate that political forces exercise caution to ensure the stability of the political and economic situation.
The war is hitting the economy hard: high prices and closed shops in Tehran's Grand Bazaar.
The war, which has been raging for nearly three weeks, has affected the usually bustling alleys and lanes of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, with many shops closed and prices soaring for Iranians already struggling under years of sanctions that have strangled the economy.
Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shopping area is usually packed in the days leading up to the Persian New Year and Eid al-Fitr with merchants seeking to sell goods and close deals, and families shopping for gifts, but despite the presence of shoppers, the number on Wednesday was lower than usual.
"How can we afford to buy them?" said Nasreen, 40, as she searched the few shops that were open for new jeans for her two children.
Thanks to her salary of about $130 a month from her job at a dental clinic, Nasrin was able to buy some new clothes for the family as well as food and other necessities despite the economic problems that Iran is experiencing, including high inflation rates.
With the intense Israeli and American bombing campaign that killed the country’s supreme leader and many other prominent figures, the government has not released any new economic statistics since the start of the offensive on February 28.
But while many businesses and government offices remain open, both traders and shoppers in the market area say the war is having a strong economic impact, and they spoke of prices rising to well above the 36 percent inflation rate that persisted through most of 2025.
The “Grand Bazaar of Tehran” stretches across the center of the capital, a city within a city, filled with wholesalers and retailers, with wide streets covered by towering arches of brick or galvanized steel, whose darkness is pierced by the bright rays of the sun.
The bazaar is divided into different sections for clothing, food, spices, carpets, electronics, metal goods, and a wide range of other categories. It has long been an economic pillar of Tehran and its merchants, who form an important political voting bloc.
The war not only damaged businesses, but some buildings also suffered material damage as a result of air raids.
A shop owner was shouting "Danger, danger" as people walked by, pointing to debris falling from part of the roof.
Boria Rahbar-Yektashinais, who has owned a clothing store for nearly 14 years, said his business had just begun to recover from a long economic downturn before the war began.
But he added, "Everything collapsed," explaining that he had to close his shop again for two weeks, fearing that the market would be a target for raids, and only recently reopened his shop.
"The situation is clear now," he said, pointing to a number of closed shops in the neighborhood and surrounding alleys that were almost devoid of customers.
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Iranian gas supply to Iraq stops after South Pars gas facilities attack
Electricity Ministry says 3,100 megawatts offline
ISTANBUL
Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said Wednesday that Iranian gas flows have stopped following developments in the region, significantly reducing power generation and taking about 3,100 megawatts offline.
The disruption came after Iranian media reported that several facilities linked to the South Pars gas field in the Assaluyeh energy zone on Iran’s southern Gulf coast were targeted Wednesday with missile attacks.
Iran holds 43 gas fields, with South Pars the most significant. It is the world’s largest natural gas field, and it is shared with Qatar, where it is known as the North Field.
The development comes amid global concerns that Iranian energy infrastructure could be targeted by US or Israeli strikes during the war, now in its third week, potentially causing major economic and environmental damage across the region.
The Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Moussa, who said that “as a result of developments in the region, Iranian gas flows to Iraq stopped completely about an hour ago, causing roughly 3,100 megawatts to go offline.”
Moussa said authorities had directed increased coordination with the Oil Ministry to compensate for the lost gas using alternative fuels and domestic gas supplies.
“The loss of 3,100 megawatts will certainly affect the power system. We had been preparing well to ensure our stations were ready ahead of peak (summer) demand,” he added.
Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to operate power plants, particularly in the south, leaving the country vulnerable to disruptions in supply.
Iran supplies Iraq with 50 million cubic meters of gas per day, covering roughly one-third of the country’s needs and generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity daily.
The US and Israel have continued a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
Kataib Hezbollah announces a five-day halt to the shelling of the US embassy in Baghdad
Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, the security official in Kataib Hezbollah, announced that the Secretary-General of the group had issued directives to suspend targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad for five days.
Al-Assaf stated in a statement that the decision to suspend is conditional on several commitments, most notably stopping the “Israeli attacks” on the southern suburbs of Beirut, not targeting residential areas in Baghdad and the provinces, in addition to withdrawing CIA personnel from their positions within the capital, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region.
The statement added that during this period the brigades will commit to supporting the efforts of the Iraqi government and security services in protecting diplomatic missions and economic interests, as long as the countries concerned are not involved in the conflict.
He stressed that failure to comply with these conditions would be met with a "direct and focused response," while hinting at escalating attacks after the deadline.
US Central Command: We will not hesitate to defend our forces and personnel in Iraq.
The US Central Command on Thursday (March 19, 2026) accused Iraqi armed factions of attacking US forces and citizens in Iraq.
In press statements, the US leadership stressed that "the United States will not hesitate to defend its forces and American personnel in Iraq," indicating that defensive and deterrence operations are continuing to counter current threats.
In a related context, security sources told Reuters that a US diplomatic facility located near Baghdad International Airport was targeted by Katyusha rockets.
She noted that the attack triggered alarms inside the facility and surrounding areas, without providing immediate details on the extent of human or material losses.
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