Trump says U.S. had no prior knowledge of Israeli strike on Iranian gas field

President Trump said that the United States had no prior knowledge of Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and that Qatar had no role in it. He also warned that if Iran attacks Qatar’s LNG facilities again, the United States would “massively blow up the entirety” of South Pars.

Trump made the comments after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, the country’s main liquefied natural gas and gas-processing hub, in retaliation for Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field.

In a social media post on Wednesday night, Trump said Israel had struck “a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran” and said only “a relatively small section of the whole” was hit.

Trump said the United States “knew nothing about this particular attack,” and added that Qatar “was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen.”

Trump added that no further Israeli attacks would be carried out against South Pars unless Iran attacks Qatar again. He said the United States would, with or without Israel’s help or consent, “massively blow up the entirety” of the South Pars gas field if Qatar’s LNG facilities are targeted again.

“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,” he added.