The Wall Street Journal reported on the 18th, citing U.S. officials, that President Trump hopes Israel will refrain from launching further airstrikes on Iran's energy facilities.
The report said that Trump had advance knowledge of Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field on the 18th, and expressed support for it, viewing it as a signal sent to the Iranian government in response to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. officials said that Trump believed the Iranian side had already received this message, and therefore now opposes continued airstrikes on Iran's energy infrastructure.
U.S. officials pointed out that Trump may consider further strikes on more of Iran’s energy facilities in the future, depending on Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Claims Total Unawareness
Regardless, President Trump stated on the 18th that the United States was completely unaware of Israel's attack on Iranian oil and gas facilities, and that Qatar was in no way involved in the strike.
He wrote on social media that Israel had struck Iran’s South Pars gas field hard, “a relatively small part of the entire gas field was hit.” The United States had no knowledge at all of this specific attack, and Qatar absolutely did not participate in any way or form, and had no knowledge whatsoever that the attack was going to occur.
He noted that Iran was unaware that the United States and Qatar knew nothing about the attack, and had unjustly and unreasonably attacked Qatar’s liquefied natural gas facilities.
He stated that Israel would not launch any more attacks against the extremely important and valuable South Pars gas field, unless Iran decided to attack the very innocent Qatar involved in this strike.
Trump threatened that if Qatar’s liquefied natural gas facilities were attacked by Iran again, the United States would, with unprecedented strength against Iran, completely destroy the entire South Pars gas field.