Energy markets were rattled and diplomatic tensions sharply escalated after Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas facility this week, prompting Iranian retaliation against an energy complex in Qatar and triggering a fierce warning from US President Donald Trump.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to put Iran on notice, threatening that the United States would “massively blow up” the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field if Iran struck Qatar’s liquefied natural gas infrastructure again — and stated the action could be taken with or without Israeli involvement.
The South Pars field is part of the world’s largest natural gas reserve, shared between Iran and Qatar, making the exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran particularly sensitive for global energy supplies. Prices rose in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
In the same post, Trump issued what appeared to be a direct instruction to Israel, writing in capital letters that no further Israeli strikes would be carried out on South Pars — unless Iran chose to attack Qatar. The unusual use of emphasis drew attention to the weight Trump placed on the warning.
Trump also stated that the US had no prior knowledge of Israel’s decision to target the gas field, describing the strike as Israel “violently lashing out” in anger. However, several Israeli newspapers reported a different account, with one centrist publication stating the operation had been coordinated in advance with Washington and agreed upon between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump personally. A right-wing outlet went further, claiming Trump had discussed the upcoming strike with Gulf state leaders over the preceding weekend.
On the question of Iran’s retaliatory strike on Qatar, Trump suggested Tehran had acted without full knowledge of the facts — specifically that Qatar had no involvement in or prior warning of the Israeli attack. He described Iran’s response as unjustified, while stopping short of absolving it of responsibility.
The episode has renewed scrutiny of how closely the two allies are coordinating their military and strategic objectives. A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London told the BBC on Thursday that the two countries remained closely aligned on their goals concerning Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its ballistic and nuclear programmes. However, analysts have noted a distinction between American and Israeli priorities: while Washington has focused on degrading Iran’s military capabilities, Israel has consistently pursued a broader aim of destabilising the Iranian regime itself.
Former US special envoy David Satterfield outlined the divide, saying Trump was seeking a credible declaration of victory rather than a prolonged regime-change campaign, whereas Netanyahu has long viewed the collapse of Iran’s ruling system as a desirable outcome.
Public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic is also beginning to feature in strategic calculations. Support for the conflict remains high in Israel, but polling in the United States shows backing has fallen below fifty percent — a figure with potential consequences for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The conflict, now approaching its fourth week, has drawn the US and Israel into their first jointly fought war. Both governments are expected to continue coordinating through diplomatic and military channels, with the status of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remaining a key unresolved pressure point in the weeks ahead.
