US President, Donald Trump has pledged that the US would “massively blow up the entirety” of South Pars natural gas field, the world’s largest gas field, if Iran attacks Qatar again.
Trump made his threat on social media against Iran’s South Pars natural gas field after Iranian missiles hit Qatar. The Iranian attack was in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the South Pars field earlier on Wednesday.
Hours after the attack on Iran’s gas field, authorities in Qatar said a ballistic missile hit the Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s main gas facility, sparking a fire that caused “extensive” damage.
Trump said in his post that the US knew nothing about the Israeli attackon the South Pars field, “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.”
According to him, Iran acted without understanding the full context of the earlier attack. “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,” he said.
The US President said that further attacks related to the South Pars field should not occur unless Iran decides to escalate the situation by targeting Qatar again.
“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.”
Donald Trump
While the statement contained a strong warning, Trump also indicated that he hoped such an escalation could be avoided. He said that authorizing such a large-scale action would carry long-term consequences for Iran and the wider region.
“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.”
Donald Trump
Although Trump framed his remarks as both an explanation of recent events and a warning against further escalation, the statement also reflects the complex geopolitical tensions surrounding Israel, Iran, and Gulf states.
His comments suggest that any future attack involving Qatar’s LNG facilities could trigger a far larger confrontation.For now, Trump said his preference is to avoid such a scenario while urging restraint in the region.
Qatar said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s main gas facility, have caused “significant damage.” “The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City, which caused fires resulting in significant damage to the facility,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an early statement.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said that a fire at the site had been preliminarily brought under control and that no injuries were reported. “All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time,” said QatarEnergy, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer.
In a later statement early today, QatarEnergy said that several other LNG facilities had also been attacked, “causing sizeable fires and extensive further damage.”
On March 2, Qatar suspended LNG production following an attack on the Ras Laffan facility as well as on a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed Industrial City.
The Ras Laffan complex, located 80km (50 miles) northeast of Doha, is the world’s largest LNG production facility and produces about 20 percent of the global LNG supply, playing a major role in balancing both Asian and European markets’ demand for the fuel.
Qatar Declares Iranian Embassy’s Military, Security Attaches As Persona Non Grata
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry declared the Iranian embassy’s military and security attaches as persona non grata, along with their staff.
The ministry said that it demanded that they leave Qatar within 24 hours, adding that the decision came as a result of Iran’s repeated attacks. “Qatar considers this assault a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security,” it said.
“The Iranian side continues its escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the brink and drawing countries not party to this crisis into the conflict zone.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry
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