Trump Denies U.S. Role in Israeli Strike on Iran's South Pars as Axios Reports Prior Coordination

Conflicting Narratives Emerge Over South Pars Strike

U.S. President Donald Trump has denied any prior knowledge of Israel's recent strike on Iran's South Pars gas field, though American and Israeli officials reportedly contradict this claim. The strike is part of the broader wave of Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure that began on March 16. According to the Iranian conflict-tracking channel خبرفوری‌نیوز | اخبار جنگ | حمله امریکا, Trump issued a statement threatening unprecedented destruction of the gas field if Iran continues to retaliate against Qatari energy targets.

In a statement circulated by the channel and also reported by تهران آنلاین ࡆ TehranOnline, Trump claimed that Israel struck the South Pars facility out of anger over recent events in the Middle East, hitting a relatively small section of the complex. Trump insisted that the United States had no prior knowledge of this specific attack and that Qatar was entirely uninvolved. Characterizing Iran's retaliatory strike on Qatari LNG facilities as unfair and unjustifiable, Trump warned that if Iran foolishly decides to attack Qatar again, the United States will widely explode the entire South Pars gas field with a level of power and force that Iran has never witnessed. Trump added that he hesitates to authorize such extreme violence due to the long-term consequences for Iran's future, but will not hesitate to act if Qatar's gas facilities are targeted again.

However, Farsi-language media swiftly highlighted contradictions in the U.S. president's narrative. According to a subsequent post by خبرفوری‌نیوز, Axios reporter Barak Ravid stated that senior Israeli and American officials confirmed the U.S. was informed in advance of the Israeli attack. The channel, which adopts an editorial stance highly critical of U.S. and Israeli operations, notes that Washington had even agreed to the strike to place maximum pressure on Iran. The channel asserts that Trump is only changing his position and attempting to conceal U.S. involvement now because the Iranians successfully carried out retaliatory actions against Qatari gas fields.

These energy-sector strikes directly follow the massive March 16 offensive in which U.S. and Israeli forces destroyed hundreds of Iranian military and infrastructure targets. In response, Iran has launched over 300 strikes across the Middle East, targeting U.S. bases, Israeli cities, and regional energy hubs. The recent Iranian strike on Qatari LNG facilities represents an expansion of these retaliatory measures, alongside previous drone strikes on UAE ports.