'Israel won't attack Iran's gas field anymore if..': Trump
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has said that Israel will not carry out any more attacks on Iran's South Pars gas field unless provoked by Iran. The statement comes after Iranian state media on Wednesday claimed that Israel had attacked Iran's South Pars natural gas field. The South Pars gas field is a shared natural gas deposit between Iran and Qatar. State media reported that facilities associated with the gas field near Asaluyeh on Iran's Gulf coastline were on fire.
Blame game
Trump warns of 'unprecedented force' against South Pars gas field
Trump urged Israel to halt assaults on the South Pars gas field until Iran "unwisely" chose to strike Qatar. In this scenario, the US, he said, 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 attack on South Pars, the world's largest natural gas reserve, was the first time Israel targeted Iranian natural gas production infrastructure since the war began.
Trump
Had no knowledge of attack: Trump
Trump also denied having prior knowledge of Israel's attack on South Pars, disputing claims that the action was coordinated and approved by his administration. In a social media post, Trump said that "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."
Retaliation strikes
Iran retaliates by hitting Qatar's energy facilities
In retaliation to the Israeli attack on South Pars gas field, Iran has fired missiles at Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The missiles hit QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan Industrial City and targeted several liquefied natural gas facilities. Iranian missile strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial City caused "significant damage," the Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed. Saudi Arabia also intercepted four ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and foiled a drone attack on a gas facility.
International response
Six Islamic nations condemn Iran's attacks on Gulf neighbors
The foreign ministers of six Islamic states have condemned Iran's attacks on Gulf neighbors. They called for an immediate halt to these actions, which they said could not be justified under any circumstances. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned that this pressure from Iran "will backfire politically and morally" and hinted at possible military action if necessary.