Trump Distances Himself From Israel's Airstrike "I Don't Know": Won't Attack South Pars Gas Field Again, But Anyone Who Provokes US Military Will Face Unprecedented Retaliation

After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field, Iran retaliated by attacking Qatar’s LNG facilities. Trump immediately posted a statement outlining a red line: unless Iran repeats its aggression, Israel will not continue targeting South Pars, and the United States will intervene with “unprecedented force” if necessary.
(Background: Iran’s largest gas field was bombed, prompting retaliatory attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Brent crude oil surpassing $110, and diesel reaching a four-year high.)
(Additional context: 13 years ago, Bitcoin’s ancient whale transferred 1,000 BTC to Binance, leaving only 30% of the holdings.)

Table of Contents

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• Full text of Trump’s statement: US was not informed in advance but set a red line
• Senate votes down for the third time: rejection of resolution to limit Trump’s military action against Iran
• Former counterterrorism chief resigns, involved in FBI investigation
• Crypto market: oil price shock suppresses short-term, safe-haven sentiment remains

The Middle East situation escalated rapidly on March 18: Israel launched airstrikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field, Iran responded by attacking Qatar’s LNG facilities, causing oil prices to surge and global markets to shake. Trump quickly posted on social media, explaining Israel’s motives and issuing a stern warning to Iran.

Full Text of Trump’s Statement: US was not informed in advance but set a red line

In his post, Trump explained that Israel’s attack was driven by anger over Middle East tensions and was a “severe strike” on South Pars. He emphasized that the US was “not aware” of this specific action, and Qatar was not involved at all — but Iran misjudged the situation and retaliated against Qatar’s LNG facilities.

Regarding future developments, Trump made his position clear: “Unless Iran foolishly decides to attack Qatar, Israel will not target South Pars again.” He also warned that if Qatar’s facilities are attacked, the US will intervene without hesitation, with “unprecedented scale and strength, completely destroying the entire South Pars gas field.”

It’s noteworthy that Trump denied prior knowledge, while The Wall Street Journal on the same day cited anonymous US officials claiming Trump was aware of the attack plan and supported it. The two accounts are directly contradictory, and no official clarification has been provided to date.

Senate votes down for the third time: rejection of resolution to limit Trump’s military action against Iran

Meanwhile, domestic US political struggles continue. On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a war powers resolution proposed by Democratic Senator Cory Booker by 53 votes to 47 — the third attempt by Congress to limit Trump’s military actions against Iran, all of which failed.

Additionally, sources revealed that the Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of additional US troops to the Middle East, indicating that the escalation is not without cause.

Former counterterrorism chief resigns, involved in FBI investigation

Another development: former Director of the Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent announced his resignation on March 18, citing lack of intelligence support for a war against Iran, and accusing Israel of “acting with impunity,” leveraging US security guarantees to push military actions.

However, shortly after resigning, Kent was reported to be under FBI investigation for allegedly leaking classified information. He denied any misconduct and reiterated that his resignation was based on principles.

Crypto Market: Oil Price Shock Suppresses Short-term, Safe-Haven Sentiment Still Present

South Pars is the world’s largest natural gas reserve shared by Iran and Qatar. Qatar’s LNG exports account for over 20% of global supply. If facilities are damaged, the energy market could face structural shortages.

Recent trends show that Middle East conflicts usually cause short-term selling pressure on Bitcoin, but as safe-haven funds seek exits, medium- and long-term flows often rebound. Whether this event repeats that pattern remains to be seen.