Trump Opposes Further Strikes On Iranian Energy Sites After Israel's South Pars Attack: Report

ISTANBUL, March 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- US President Donald Trump opposes additional strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following Israel's attack on the South Pars gas field, Anadolu Ajansi citing The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Trump had prior knowledge of the Israeli strike and backed it as a signal to Iran over its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the outlet which citing American officials. He now believes Tehran "got the message" and wants to pause energy strikes, the officials said.

Whether that position holds, however, depends on how Iran behaves in the strait going forward, the officials told the newspaper.

Anadolu separately learned that the US had advance knowledge of the strike but did not participate in it.

The Israeli airstrike Wednesday targeted gas storage tanks at the South Pars field in the southern city of Asaluyeh, halting production at two refineries with a combined daily capacity of around 100 million cubic metres, Iranian media reported.

The Journal’s report comes after Trump flatly denied any rift with Israel over its strikes on Iranian energy facilities, calling such reports "a complete lie" and insisting that the two countries' relations had "never been better."

He had also previously told PBS that he deliberately avoided hitting oil pipelines on Kharg Island, citing the years it would take to rebuild such infrastructure.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb 28 and have reportedly killed around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and block the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route that normally handles about 20 million barrels per day and roughly 20 per cent of global liquefied natural gas trade, disrupting global energy markets.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU