Iran War News LIVE Updates: US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field was carried out by Israel Defence Forces, and made clear that neither the United States nor Qatar were involved in the attack.
What happened in the last few hours?
U.S. President Donald Trump vowed that Israel would stop further strikes on Iran’s key South Pars gas field, but warned that if Iran were to attack Qatar again, the United States would respond by potentially “massively” destroying the entire gas field. He made this threat on social media Wednesday night as the conflict continued to unsettle global energy markets and Iranian missiles struck Qatar. “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. 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. 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.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Qatar’s state-owned energy company QatarEnergy announced on Wednesday that Iranian missile strikes on Ras Laffan, home to the country’s main LNG processing hub, resulted in significant damage, as reported by Reuters. The UAE temporarily shut down gas facilities after intercepting incoming missiles early Thursday. Saudi Arabia reiterated that its immediate priority in the ongoing Iran conflict is to halt attacks targeting Gulf countries, with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressing that the Kingdom is focused on protecting regional stability, Al Jazeera reported. However, the country still reserves the right to take military action against Iran if provoked.
These developments followed Iran’s evacuation warnings for multiple oil and gas sites in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, issued shortly before it launched retaliatory attacks in response to earlier strikes on its own energy infrastructure in South Pars and Asaluyeh, Reuters reported.
South Pars gas field -Why it matters?
Global oil prices climbed following reports of the South Pars field attack, amid concerns that Iran might retaliate against Gulf energy infrastructure. Hours later, Qatari authorities confirmed that a ballistic missile struck the country’s major natural gas facility, causing a fire with “extensive” damage, and ordered several Iranian Embassy officials to leave Qatar.
The South Pars attack signals a shift in the conduct of the war toward degrading Iran’s economic infrastructure and curbing its ability to continue fighting, according to Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, as reported by Bloomberg.
“South Pars is central to Iran’s gas supply and, by extension, to electricity generation and industrial activity,” Azizi said by email, Bloomberg reported, adding, “Even limited or temporary disruptions can translate into power shortages, industrial slowdowns, and broader economic strain.”
How did oil prices react to the Middle East war?
Meanwhile, the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran is intensifying strain on the region’s energy sector, with global oil prices jumping another 5% to exceed $108 per barrel. This surge is driving up fuel costs and putting additional pressure on the world economy.
Prices climbed further after reports of an attack on the Pars gas field, raising concerns about possible Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure.
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has targeted energy installations in Persian Gulf countries and effectively disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route that carries around one-fifth of global oil supply.
At the same time, Iran and Hezbollah have continued launching drones and missiles toward Israel.
Iran-US war: Casualties so far
In Iran, the U.S.-based rights group HRANA reported on Tuesday that 3,114 people have been killed, including 1,354 civilians, among them 207 children.
The U.S. military has also confirmed the deaths of 13 personnel, with around 200 others injured.
How many US soldiers died in the Iran War?
Thirteen service members have been killed. Six were confirmed dead after a U.S. military refuelling aircraft crashed over Iraq, the U.S. military said, while seven others have been killed in action during operations against Iran.
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