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The US president has cautioned Tehran against further strikes on Qatari LNG facilities
Published 19 Mar, 2026 10:00 | Updated 19 Mar, 2026 10:18
The US will “massively blow up” Iran’s South Pars gas field if Tehran continues strikes on Qatari energy facilities, President Donald Trump has warned. South Pars – shared with Qatar, where it is known as the North Field – is the world’s largest natural gas field.
Iran earlier struck Qatar’s main LNG hub at Ras Laffan after Israel targeted facilities linked to the South Pars field. Doha said the attack caused “extensive damage” and expelled Iranian security and military attaches.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said Israel had struck “out of anger” and claimed no further Israeli attacks would target the South Pars field – but warned that the US would destroy ”the entirety” of the field if Tehran targets Qatar again.
Foreign ministers from 12 Arab and Muslim countries have meanwhile called on Iran to “immediately” halt attacks on civilian, energy, and transport infrastructure.
France has urged a moratorium on strikes targeting energy facilities in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it was “sad” that French calls for de-escalation came only after Tehran struck Qatar, lamenting that the West had still not condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Tehran has since sent letters to the UN protesting Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE for allowing US forces to operate from their territory.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the exchange of strikes on gas infrastructure as a “tipping point” in the escalating conflict.
Here are the latest developments:
- Araghchi has condemned reports that the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in war funding from Congress, calling it the “tip of the iceberg” of a “trillion-dollar ‘Israel First tax’” on Americans.
- European gas prices have jumped to levels last seen during the 2022 energy crisis, with Dutch TTF futures rising nearly 30% in a day after Iran’s strike on Ras Laffan. Qatar is Europe’s second-largest LNG supplier.
- Oil prices continued to surge due to Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy infrastructure, with Brent crude climbing above $112 per barrel and US WTI nearing $100.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
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19 March 2026
10:14 GMT
Trump has temporarily waived a century-old shipping law known as the Jones Act to ease surging energy costs and allow oil and other resources to move more freely within the US.
The Jones Act normally requires goods shipped between US ports to be transported on US-built, US-owned, and US-crewed vessels. The waiver allows foreign-flagged tankers to carry oil, LNG, and other commodities between ports, such as from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast.
“This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to US ports,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.
The waiver is set to last 60 days but could be extended depending on the conflict and market conditions.
President Trump’s decision to issue a 60-day Jones Act waiver is just another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market as the U.S. military continues meeting the objectives of Operation Epic Fury. This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural… https://t.co/q6xu36exzy
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 18, 2026
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10:13 GMT
Relief and debris removal operations are continuing in Tehran, where rescue teams have pulled one injured person alive from the rubble of a residential building, the authorities said on Wednesday.
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09:59 GMT
US CENTCOM has posted an update on X outlining its campaign against Iran, claiming that as of March 18, US forces have struck more than 7,800 targets and damaged or destroyed over 120 Iranian vessels.
The report also details the US military assets involved in the operation.