Trump Warns Netanyahu Against Further Strikes on Iranian Energy as Oil Prices Surge

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to repeat strikes on Iranian energy facilities, as the conflict between Israel and Iran deepened following an Israeli Air Force attack on Iran's South Pars gas field on March 18, 2026. The warning came as Gulf allies pressed Washington to restrain Netanyahu after Iranian retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in Qatar and Saudi Arabia sent already elevated global oil prices surging further. The escalation marked a visible divergence between American and Israeli war aims, with Trump seeking to limit economic damage while Israel pursued broader military objectives. The IRGC confirmed the death of its spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini, in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation, adding to the toll of senior Iranian figures lost since the conflict began. Overnight blasts were reported in Jerusalem and in Tehran as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, underscoring how the war has penetrated daily civilian life on multiple sides of the conflict.

South Pars strike sends oil prices to $108 per barrel The Israeli strike on the South Pars gas field on March 18, 2026, targeted what is by far the world's largest natural gas field, shared between Iran and Qatar. Global oil prices rose from $103 to $108 per barrel in the aftermath, according to the verification log. Iran's retaliatory strikes on energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia compounded the market shock and prompted Gulf states to call on Trump to rein in Netanyahu. The strikes placed Gulf monarchies in a particularly difficult position, as they had sought to preserve regional stability and economic predictability while remaining aligned with Washington. The Guardian reported that the war was tearing up the Gulf's carefully constructed plans for stability. The energy infrastructure attacks drew attention to how the conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, has expanded well beyond its initial military targets.

2026-03-17: 103, 2026-03-19: 108

Trump and Netanyahu's war aims drift further apart Analysis published by both the Süddeutsche Zeitung and The Irish Times on March 20, 2026, described a widening gap between the strategic objectives of Trump and Netanyahu. The Irish Times argued that Israel's strategic aims, rather than America's, were shaping the direction of the war with Iran. The Süddeutsche Zeitung similarly reported that the war aims of Trump and Netanyahu were diverging ever further. Trump, who returned to the presidency in January 2025 as the 47th U.S. president, has publicly signaled concern about the economic consequences of strikes on energy infrastructure. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has shown no indication of halting the military campaign. The divergence raises questions about how long Washington can maintain a unified front with Jerusalem as the conflict's economic and diplomatic costs mount across the region.

UK distances itself; Haifa refinery incident clarified Downing Street issued a statement to Iran asserting that the United Kingdom is not involved in the broader Middle East war, according to a report by the Greek financial outlet Η Ναυτεμπορική. The British position reflects a broader effort by European governments to avoid being drawn into the expanding conflict. Separately, initial reports of an Iranian cluster bomb attack on a refinery in Haifa were corrected: Italian news agency ANSA reported that the refinery was struck by a fragment from an interceptor missile, not by an Iranian munition. The distinction carries significance in the context of assessing Iranian targeting decisions and the risks posed by missile defense operations over populated areas. The IRGC's confirmation of spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini's death in a U.S.-Israeli attack added a further dimension to the conflict, as Iran's military communications apparatus absorbed losses alongside its operational command. Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, began on February 28, 2026, and resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the initial strikes. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026, according to current facts established at the time of publication. The South Pars/North Dome gas field, targeted in the March 18 Israeli strike, is shared between Iran and Qatar and is described by the International Energy Agency as holding an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making it the world's largest such field.