Three Israeli officials said the US was informed in advance of Israel's attack on the South Pars gas field in Iran, contradicting President Donald Trump's initial statement. The strike, part of a war started on February 28, drove up oil prices. Trump later hinted at coordination with Israel.
Israel struck the South Pars gas field, shared between Iran and Qatar, hours before Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on the night of March 18, 2026, stating that 'the United States didn't know anything about this attack'. Trump added that Israel would not conduct new strikes on the field and that Qatar, a US ally, was not involved nor had any idea. Hours after the Israeli attack, Qatari gas facilities were hit by bombings attributed by Doha to Iran. The offensive came amid a war that began on February 28, when Israel and the US jointly attacked Iran, leading to a series of strikes on energy infrastructure and spikes in global oil and gas prices. South Pars is part of the world's largest gas field, and Qatar is the third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Three Israeli officials, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, said the US was warned in advance due to diplomatic sensitivity. On Thursday (19), Trump shifted tone to journalists: 'I told him not to do it', implying prior talk with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and stated: 'We are independent. We get along very well. It was all coordinated'. Tel Aviv made no public comment. Israeli analysts like Ehud Yaari from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy see the strike as a signal to Iran to release the Strait of Hormuz and cripple its power grid. Yaari noted the tight US-Israel coordination. Trump threatened to destroy the field if Iran strikes Qatar again. Tehran vowed retaliation; military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Iran targeted US-interest energy facilities and warned of complete destruction of US and allies' infrastructure if Iranian sites are hit again.
