The war in West Asia unravels for a third week as the United States and Israel traded fire with Iran, with attacks continuing on military, diplomatic and strategic infrastructure.
The conflict, triggered by the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the region, roiling energy markets and pushing up oil prices as the Islamic Republic imposed a blockade on the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Israel has intensified attacks on Lebanon, launching a ground invasion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.
TOP DEVELOPMENTS
Trump threatens South Pars gas field – Donald Trump warned that the US could “massively blow up” Iran’s South Pars field if Iran attacks Qatar’s LNG facilities. He claimed the US “knew nothing” about Israel’s Wednesday strike, though reports suggest White House approval.
Israel attacks South Pars field – Israel struck the shared South Pars gas field after killing Iran’s intelligence minister and conducting heavy airstrikes in Beirut.
Iran retaliates on Gulf energy facilities – Iran targeted Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub and UAE’s Habshan gas facility and Bab field. Qatari authorities said fires were contained; UAE operations were shut down after interceptions.
Pentagon seeks USD 200 billion for Iran war – The US Defense Department has requested USD 200 billion in additional funding, on top of last year’s allocations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there is no set end date for the conflict and emphasized that “it takes money to kill bad guys,” adding that President Trump will ultimately decide when operations conclude.
US may ease sanctions on Iranian oil – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington might “unsanction” Iranian oil already at sea and could release more from strategic reserves. Oil prices surged after Iran attacked Qatar’s LNG facility, disrupting shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose over 5% to USD 112.76 per barrel.
US forces target Iran-aligned threats – General Dan Caine said A-10 Warthogs are “hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft” in the Strait of Hormuz, while AH-64 Apaches in Iraq are targeting Iran-aligned militias. Allied forces are also using attack helicopters to counter one-way drones from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia warns of possible military action – Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Iran’s repeated missile and drone attacks are attempts to pressure its neighbours.
Iran executes three for US-Israel-linked crimes – Tehran executed three people convicted of killing police officers and aiding foreign powers during earlier unrest.
International calls for restraint – French President Emmanuel Macron urged an immediate moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, including energy and water facilities.
The UAE condemned the targeting on Wednesday of Iranian facilities in a gas field shared with Qatar, calling the attack attributed by Iran to the US and Israel a "dangerous escalation" in a rare rebuke.
"The United Arab Emirates affirmed that targeting energy facilities linked to the South Pars gas field in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is an extension of the North Field in the sisterly State of Qatar, constitutes a dangerous escalation," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Targeting energy infrastructure poses a direct threat to global energy security... It also entails serious environmental repercussions and exposes civilians, maritime security, and vital civilian and industrial facilities to direct risks," it added.
Qatar said on Wednesday that Iranian attacks on its main gas facility situated on its north coast were a "direct threat to its national security".
"Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the brutal Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City... Qatar considers this assault a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security," the Gulf state's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in the war with the US and Israel, blasting a "cowardly assassination."
In a post on X, Pezeshkian did not say who had carried out the attack but earlier Israel's defence minister announced that Khatib had been "eliminated."
"The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Esmail Khatib, Ali Larijani and Aziz Nasirzadeh, along with some of their family members and accompanying team, has left us in mourning," he said, referring to Iran's recently killed security chief and defence minister.
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Wednesday in a written message that the killers of security chief Ali Larijani, who died in an Israeli strike, "will have to pay for it."
"Without a doubt, the assassination of such a figure attests to his importance and to the hatred that the enemies of Islam harbour toward him," Mojtaba Khamenei said, in a message published on his official Telegram channel on the day of Larijani's funeral in Tehran.
"Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it," added Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public after taking office following the killing of his father, ex-supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the war.
Iran's president warned on Wednesday of the risk of "uncontrollable consequences" of attacks on energy infrastructure, after facilities in the giant Iranian South Pars gas field were targeted in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
"This will complicate the situation and could have uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world," Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X, adding that such attacks "will yield nothing" for Iran's foes the US and Israel.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added in a separate post on X that after the attacks on energy facilities "an eye-for-an-eye sum is in effect, and a new level of confrontation has begun."
Democratic senators pressed the US government's top intelligence official at annual worldwide threats hearings on Wednesday about the war with Iran, including whether she had advised President Donald Trump that Tehran was likely to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passageway for oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, if attacked.
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, repeatedly deflected questions about the intelligence she had offered the Republican president. That exasperated Democrats who tried to use a rare public forum to extract answers about the widening conflict in the Middle East.
She sidestepped when asked by Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, whether she had advised Trump that Iran would attack Gulf nations and shut down the strait if the country was targeted by US strikes.
"I have not and won't divulge internal conversations. I will say that those of us within the intelligence community continue to provide the president with all of the best objective intelligence available to inform his decisions," she said.
The United States was informed about Israel’s plans to strike Iran’s massive South Pars natural gas field, but did not take part in it, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The person, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not say if the US administration agreed with the Israeli decision to attack the gas field — part of the world’s largest such resource and a pillar of Iran’s energy supplies.
Egypt's foreign ministry said it stood in solidarity with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and condemned attacks on their oil and gas facilities. It also condemned a reported US-Israeli attack on Iran’s natural gas field as “a dangerous escalation” and “a flagrant violation of international law.”
Saudi Arabia intercepted four ballistic missiles on Wednesday, with a fragment falling near a refinery south of Riyadh, its defence ministry said, as Iran threatened Gulf gas facilities following US-Israeli attacks on its own infrastructure.
"Four ballistic missiles launched toward the city of Riyadh were intercepted and destroyed, a fragment of one of the ballistic missiles landed near a refinery south of Riyadh," the ministry said in a statement on X.
Ras Laffan Industrial City is the largest liquefied natural gas export facility in the world, according to the website of QatarEnergy, the state-owned oil and gas company.
On X, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and said it marked a dangerous escalation. The ministry wrote that Qatar would not hesitate to respond to attacks on its security and sovereignty.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it would not stop its "series of eliminations" of senior Iranian officials, after the country announced it had killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.
Khatib's killing came soon after Israel killed Iran's powerful security chief Ali Larijani, and another powerful figure, Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force.
"Over the past 24 hours, we have continued to track down and eliminate senior officials of the regime, murderers responsible for numerous terrorist operations," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing. "We will continue to hunt down all of the regime's senior officials. The series of eliminations will not stop."
Abu Dhabi has shut down operations at a gas facility due to falling debris from missile interceptions, the Emirati capital's media office said on Thursday.
"Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and at the Bab (oil) field caused by falling debris from the successful interception of missiles," Abu Dhabi's media office posted on X.
"The gas facilities have been shut down," it said, adding no injuries had been reported.
"These attacks constitute a serious escalation and a violation of the principles of international law," the ministry said in a statement posted on X.
Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and at the Bab field caused by falling debris from the successful interception of missiles. The gas facilities have been shut down and no injuries have been reported.
— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) March 18, 2026
The public is urged to obtain…
An Iranian missile attack caused damage at Qatar's main gas facility on its north coast, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The "State of Qatar was attacked (by) ballistic missiles, from Iran, which targeted Ras Laffan Industrial City and caused damages", the Qatari defence ministry posted on X.
Qatar had said overnight that attacks on the gas facility were a "direct threat" to its national security.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister offered harsh criticism Thursday of Iran after its overnight attacks on his country, saying: “What little trust there was before has completely been shattered.”
Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the comments after a meeting between foreign ministers of the Gulf Arab states and others over the Iranian attacks tearing at the wider Middle East.
“The attacks on my country and on my neighboring countries that are not involved in this conflict — that’s all I’m interested in,” Prince Faisal said. “We’re going to use every lever we have — political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise — to get these attacks to stop.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has released another statement following Iran’s attack on its Ras Laffan gas facility.
“The brutal Iranian attacks on countries in the region have crossed all red lines by targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure and vital facilities,” the statement said.
“The ministry stresses the need to spare the region the consequences of these unjustified attacks and to work towards de-escalation in order to restore regional and international security and stability.”
QatarEnergy says “sizeable fires” have broken out at several of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities following the latest Iranian attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City.
These were “in addition to the previous attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City on Wednesday” that “resulted in extensive damage to the Pearl GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) facility,” QatarEnergy said.
There has been “extensive further damage” from the new attacks, with emergency response teams “deployed immediately” and no reported casualties, QatarEnergy added.
QatarEnergy Statement on Missile Attacks on its LNG Facilities
— QatarEnergy (@qatarenergy) March 19, 2026
In addition to the previous attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City on Wednesday 18 March 2026 that resulted in extensive damage to the Pearl GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) facility, QatarEnergy confirms that in the early hours…
President Donald Trump pledged that Israel would make no more attacks on Iran’s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.
Trump made his threat on social media Wednesday night as the war roiled global energy markets and Iranian missiles hit Qatar.
“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 added that he would “not hesitate to do so,” if Qatar’s liquified natural gas sites were attacked again.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has said that civil defence has now “fully contained two out of three fires in the Ras Laffan Industrial Area with no injuries reported”.
“Cooling and securing operations at the sites are ongoing,” the ministry added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has said it has received a report of an “incident” four nautical miles (about 7km) east of Ras Laffan, Qatar.
“It has been reported to UKMTO that a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile,” the agency said in a statement, adding that “all crew are reported safe and well.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO while authorities continue to investigate,” it added.
Oil prices surged after strikes against energy infrastructure in Iran and Qatar.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 2.5 percent at $98.69 in Asian trade on Thursday, while Brent crude oil soared more than five percent to nearly $113 a barrel on fresh worries about energy supplies.
Israel will not carry out further attacks on Iran’s vital South Pars gas field, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
"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," he said in a post on Truth Social. "A relatively small section of the whole has been hit."
Trump was quick to distance Washington from the South Pars strikes, claiming it was solely an Israeli operation. "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," he said.
Qatar's state-run energy firm said new strikes on the Gulf nation's main gas hub on Thursday caused "extensive" damage.
QatarEnergy said in a statement that early Thursday "several of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities were the subject of missile attacks, causing sizeable fires and extensive further damage" after a previous attack.
The company noted that the earlier attack on the Ras Laffan Industrial City on Wednesday had already caused extensive damage to a gas-to-liquids facility.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to destroy Iran's key South Pars gas field if there were further attacks against Qatar's main gas plant.
Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that Israel had struck the South Pars field but said the United States "knew nothing" of the attack, which spurred Iran to launch an attack on Qatar's Ras Laffan facility.
"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," the US president wrote.
Qatari civil defence teams have contained fires that erupted at a major gas facility in the Gulf state's north following an Iranian attack, the interior ministry said Thursday.
"Civil Defence has fully brought all fires under control in the Ras Laffan Industrial Area without any reported injuries. Cooling and sites-securing operations are still ongoing," the ministry said in a post on X.
Iran executed three people convicted of killing police officers and carrying out operations in favour of the United States and Israel during unrest earlier this year, the judiciary said.
The West Asia conflict, triggered on February 28 by Israeli-US strikes against Iran, has severely disrupted the transport of goods through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed, to the Gulf region.
This blockade of key Gulf shipping routes is now driving up food bills at the checkout.
Saudi Arabia has not ruled out military action in response to repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting in Riyadh of foreign ministers from the region, Prince Faisal said that Iran "tries to pressure its neighbours" with attacks.
"The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire... and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary," he said.
Two waves of Iranian strikes caused "extensive damage" at Qatar's main gas hub, the country's state-run energy firm said on Thursday, with President Donald Trump warning Iran against further attacks on the facility.
Iran had vowed to target energy infrastructure across the Gulf after a strike that Trump said was carried out by Israel on Iranian facilities at South Pars field, Iran's part of the world's largest known gas reserve.
Iranian missile attacks have killed three Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank and a foreign worker in central Israel, medics said Thursday.
Falling shrapnel struck a hair salon in the West Bank town of Beit Awa near Hebron late Wednesday, killing the three women, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, marking the first Palestinian deaths from Iranian attacks in the ongoing Middle East war.
Oil and natural gas prices surged Thursday after Iran attacked Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG terminal, supplying 20% of global gas, and two oil refineries in Kuwait. Brent crude neared $114 a barrel, while European natural gas jumped 24%.
The attacks, alongside the Strait of Hormuz closure, have fueled fears of prolonged disruption to global energy supplies. Asian markets fell sharply, with Tokyo’s Nikkei down 3.4% and India’s Sensex losing 2.3%. U.S. stocks also retreated as inflation worries rose and the Fed held interest rates steady.
Experts warn that sustained high energy prices could trigger a wave of global inflation, with markets watching developments in the Persian Gulf closely.
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A drone crashed into the Saudi oil refinery Samref in the industrial zone of the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the defence ministry said, adding that a damage assessment was underway.
Earlier Thursday, the ministry said on X that it had intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the port.
The Samref refinery is owned by the Saudi state energy giant Aramco and the Mobil Yanbu Refining Company, a subsidiary of US company ExxonMobil.
Iranian lawmakers proposed taxing ships using the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei told ISNA. Traffic has nearly stalled since the US-Israel strikes on February 28, and Iran has attacked vessels that ignored warnings.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said maritime traffic “will not return to its pre-war status.” Some friendly-country vessels are allowed passage, while others face restrictions. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei stressed that blocking the strait must be used as leverage.
Iran's military renewed threats on Thursday to destroy the region's energy infrastructure were its facilities to be attacked again during the US-Israel war with the Islamic republic.
"We warn the enemy that you made a major mistake in attacking the energy infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the response is underway and not yet finished," the military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by Fars news agency.
"If it is repeated, subsequent attacks against your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not stop until their complete destruction, and our response will be far more severe than" last night's attacks.
Satellite imagery shows the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, moving southwest in the Red Sea on March 17. The vessel, the world’s largest and America’s newest carrier, is expected to make a temporary stop at Souda Bay, Crete, U.S. officials said.
The fire, which broke out in the ship’s main laundry area, took hours to control and affected roughly 100 sleeping berths. Nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries.
#WATCH | Reuters says, "Latest satellite imagery showed U.S. aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, moving southwest in the Red Sea on Tuesday (March 17) as it was expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board. Reuters confirmed the… pic.twitter.com/y0ieJyRCco
— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2026
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth opened a press conference on the Iran war on Thursday, saying he had spoken with the families of six US service members who died in a military refueling aircraft crash over Iraq last week.
“They told me: finish this. Honour their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done,” Hegseth said.
He added that both he and the president responded to the families with a clear message: “Of course we will finish this. We will honour their sacrifice.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there is no "time frame" for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago.
"We wouldn't want to set a definitive time frame," Hegseth told reporters, adding that "we're very much on track" and that President Donald Trump will be the one to decide when to stop.
"It will be at the president's choosing, ultimately, where we say, 'Hey, we've achieved what we need to.'"
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Berlin will not take part in Middle East operations while the US-Israel conflict with Iran is ongoing, reported Al Jazeera. Speaking in Brussels, Merz added that Germany’s involvement would only be possible “once the guns fall silent.”
He noted that Germany could contribute significantly, including keeping sea lanes open and secure, but only after hostilities end.
Merz’s comments come amid criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who has accused European countries of failing to support the US in managing the fallout from the conflict, which some EU nations consider illegal.
Hezbollah said it launched rockets targeting the Israeli military’s Tefen base east of Acre and the northern settlement of Even Menachem, according to posts on the group’s Telegram channel.
The group also reported firing at a newly established Israeli position in Nimr al-Jamal, near the border town of Alma al-Shaab, and engaging Israeli troops in the al-Labouneh area of southern Lebanon.
No immediate reports on casualties or damage have emerged from either side.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said America’s objectives in Iran remain “exactly what they were on day one,” speaking at a Pentagon news conference.
He described the ongoing operation, dubbed Epic Fury, as “laser focused” and “decisive,” with goals including destroying Iran’s missiles, launchers, industrial base, and navy, and ensuring the country cannot develop nuclear weapons.
Hegseth added that Iran has spent decades funneling resources into weapons rather than its people, and said US forces are targeting these capabilities with unmatched precision.
The United States could ease restrictions on Iranian oil already at sea, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business, as Washington seeks to stabilise global supply.
Bessent added that the US may also carry out a unilateral release of oil reserves. He noted that Iranian oil tankers have already been leaving the Strait of Hormuz with US awareness, helping global markets.
More details expected
The Pentagon is seeking USD 200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information. It’s an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defense Department already received last year in President Donald Trump’s big tax cuts bill. Congress is bracing for a new spending request but it is not clear the White House has transmitted the request for consideration. It is unclear the spending request would have support.
UN chief Antonio Guterres called on the United States and Israel Thursday to end their war with Iran before it spirals "out of control," warning of "potential tragic consequences" for civilians as well as the global economy.
"To the United States and to Israel: it's high time to end this war that is risking to get completely out of control," Guterres told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.
"To Iran, stop attacking your neighbours. They were never parties to the conflict," he said.
Six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said on Thursday they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz."
"We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning" the grouping -- which also includes Italy and the Netherlands -- said in a joint statement, as they condemned "in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf."
"We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict... We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping," the allies' joint statement said.
"Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea... The effects of Iran's actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable," it added
The declaration came as an effective Iranian blockade of the strait has paralysed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that its fighter jets had struck several Iranian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea the previous day.
The targets included ships equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft, the military said, adding that a port command centre was also hit in the operation.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Tehran will not excercise any restraint if energy facilities were attacked in the war with United States and Israel again.
"Our response to Israel's attack on our infrastructure employed FRACTION of our power. The ONLY reason for restraint was respect for requested de-escalation," said Araghchi in a post on X.
"ZERO restraint if our infrastructures are struck again."
Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday that Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, raising a previous toll of 968 a day earlier.
The new ministry statement said the toll included 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, with 2,584 other people wounded.
The war in the Middle East poses a dire threat to global food security, the World Trade Organization chief warned on Thursday, appealing for global supply chains to remain open.
The Middle East conflict "threatens global food security, since shipping disruptions and higher energy costs reduce the supply and raise the cost of fertiliser", Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters in Geneva.
"A prolonged interruption in supply could ripple through food systems, prompting farmers to reduce their use of fertilisers and plant less input-intensive crops," she said, insisting it was "essential to keep global food trade channels open and predictable, allowing food supplies to flow to where they are most needed."
The health of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains uncertain, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told US Congress Thursday.
Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said his exact condition, as well as the leadership structure in Iran, is not fully known to US intelligence. “It is unclear his status or his involvement. He was injured very severely in one of the Israeli strikes,” Gabbard said.
“So the decision-making is unclear.”
Officials have said the new leader was wounded and possibly disfigured by the Israeli strike.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war last week, though he did not appear on camera and the speech was read by a news anchor. He was chosen to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States at the start of the war.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Thursday condemned Iran's attacks on the state's main gas hub after Tehran sent waves of attacks against Gulf energy infrastructure a day earlier.
"This attack has significant repercussions for global energy supplies. Such attacks bring no direct benefit to any country, rather, they harm and directly impact populations," he told a press conference following extensive damage to the Ras Laffan facility.
Qatar's prime minister said on Thursday Iran's attack on the world's largest gas facility in Qatar was "clear proof" against Tehran's claims of having targeted only US interests in the Gulf.
There were "persistent Iranian claims that these attacks are against American interests... and this claim is rejected and cannot be accepted," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
"The clear proof of this is the attack that took place yesterday that targeted a natural gas facility in the State of Qatar," he added.
Israeli media reported that an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa was hit on Thursday, after the military warned of incoming missiles launched from Iran.
Israel's Kan 11 public broadcaster aired images on television showing a thick plume of dark smoke rising from the area of the refinery. In a post on X, Kan reported that there were no concerns that hazardous materials had leaked.
Asked about the possibility of US ground troops being deployed to Iran during a meeting with Japan’s prime minister, Trump responded, “No. I’m not putting troops anywhere.”
He then said he could deploy military forces wherever he wanted, but said he’d not tell reporters about his plans.
Trump added, however, “I’m not putting troops.”
The Pentagon is signaling that it needs an additional $200 billion for the war with Iran. But the US president said Thursday that his administration is asking for the money for other reasons beyond Iran.
“This is a very volatile world,” Trump said from the Oval Office. He said the emergency spending would be a “very small price to pay” to ensure the nation’s military stays in top shape.
The money will have to be approved by Congress.
President Donald Trump's administration is not considering a ban on oil exports, a US official told AFP on Thursday, as the government scrambles to contain surging energy costs due to the war in the Middle East.
"Oil and gas export restrictions are not under consideration," a Trump administration official said.
Washington has been looking to ease energy costs in recent days as soaring costs filter down to consumers.
In notices sent to Congress on Thursday, the State Department said the US would sell to the United Arab Emirates, more than $8 billion in air defense systems and related materiel, including drones, air-to-air missiles and F-16 fighter jet munitions.
It will also sell $8 billion in missile defense and radar systems to Kuwait and $70.5 million of aircraft and munitions support to Jordan.
Another $6 billion in sales to the three countries was approved but did not require congressional notification because they involved adjustments to previously approved packages or purely commercial sales, a State Department official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of those sales are not public.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had told his ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike anymore gas fields in Iran, which retaliated to an attack by hitting Qatari energy sites.
"I told him, don't do that, and he won't do that," Trump told reporters as he met Japan's prime minister.
"We get along great. It's coordinated, but on occasion, he'll do something" that the United States opposes, Trump said.
An F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran, US Central Command says.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the command that oversees the Middle East, said that the aircraft landed safely and the pilot was in “stable” condition.
CNN first reported on the incident and said the jet was believed to be hit by Iranian fire. Hawkins wouldn’t comment on the report and said that the incident was under investigation.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its air defenses struck a US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran, claiming the aircraft was “seriously damaged” and likely crashed.
When Trump returned to office last year, he launched a crusade in pursuit of what he calls American energy dominance.
Now, as crude oil prices rise above $100 a barrel and gasoline prices surge toward $4 a gallon, experts say Trump’s strategy of blocking clean energy such as wind and solar power has made the US more vulnerable to supply shocks caused by the war. The Strait of Hormuz, a key access point for the global oil market, is effectively blocked.
Trump said Thursday he knew oil prices would go up and “the economy will go down a little bit” as a result of the war.
“I thought it would be worse — much worse, actually,’' he said.
Russia on Thursday accused Israel of deliberately targeting a TV crew from state-run RT broadcaster reporting from southern Lebanon with a strike that wounded a reporter and a cameraman.
"The crew's clothing clearly read 'press' and they were carrying only cameras and microphones... All these circumstances indicate that the attack on the journalists was deliberate and targeted," the Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
