US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the United States was not aware beforehand of Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field in Iran, and added that Israel would not carry out additional similar strikes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also blasted Iran for attacking a Qatari gas facility in retaliation for the Israeli strike.
“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. 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," wrote Trump.
“Unfortunately," he continued, “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 stressed, “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."
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter," concluded the President.
Trump’s post followed a report in The Wall Street Journal stating that Trump wants no more strikes on Iranian energy sites after Israel's attack on South Pars.
The officials said that Trump knew about the Israeli strike on South Pars in advance and supported it as a message to Tehran over its blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. The President believes Iran got the message and is now against attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, the officials stated.
At the same time, those officials also told The Wall Street Journal that Trump could once again be open to targeting more Iranian energy facilities depending on Tehran's future actions in the strategic waterway.