The attack on South Pars, a major component of the world’s largest natural gas deposit shared by Iran and Qatar, drove oil prices higher and intensified concerns over global energy supply disruptions.

Trump said Israel had acted “out of anger” and that Washington had no advance knowledge of the operation.

QatarEnergy reported “extensive damage” and sizeable fires at facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City following missile strikes, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and thwarted a drone attack on a gas installation in its eastern region.

The strikes mark a significant expansion of hostilities into critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf, a region central to global oil and gas markets. Ras Laffan processes roughly a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas, making it one of the most strategically important energy hubs globally.

Iran carried out additional missile attacks on Thursday targeting Qatari gas facilities and the Saudi capital, according to officials, heightening fears of prolonged disruption to energy flows.

The South Pars field itself is a cornerstone of Iran’s gas production and is geologically linked to Qatar’s North Field, underscoring the cross-border risks posed by military escalation.In a post on X, Trump said Israel’s strike had been a response to developments in the region but warned Tehran against further escalation.

He described Iran’s subsequent targeting of Qatar’s LNG facilities as “unjustified,” adding that Doha had not been involved in the initial attack.

Trump said the United States would prevent further Israeli strikes on South Pars unless Iran “unwisely” targets Qatar again. He also warned that any such move by Tehran would trigger a large-scale U.S. response against the gas field.

Earlier reporting by the Wall Street Journal said Trump had approved Israel’s plan to strike Iran’s gas infrastructure, though the president said Washington had no prior knowledge of the specific operation.

Regional fallout widensIran’s actions reflect a broader pattern since the conflict began nearly four weeks ago, with Tehran targeting not only Israel but also U.S. diplomatic and military facilities across the Gulf. Iranian officials have also warned neighbouring states against facilitating attacks on its territory.

Saudi authorities said their air defences successfully neutralised incoming threats, while Qatar has yet to detail the full operational impact of the damage to its LNG facilities.

The widening scope of attacks on energy infrastructure has raised geopolitical and economic stakes, with markets reacting to the potential for sustained disruption across key supply routes and production hubs.

Israel said the missiles dispersed multiple submunitions mid-air, complicating interception efforts. The overnight attack killed two people in Tel Aviv, bringing the total death toll in Israel since the start of the war to at least 14, according to Israeli authorities.

Iran described the strike as a direct response to the assassination of Larijani, one of the most senior figures killed since the conflict began more than two weeks ago. Tehran confirmed his death on Tuesday, following earlier Israeli statements that he had been targeted in an airstrike.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which Larijani had previously headed as secretary, said his son and deputy, Alireza Bayat, were also killed in a separate Israeli attack on Monday night.

In a separate development, Iran said a projectile struck near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Tuesday evening but caused no damage or injuries. The country informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of the incident.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi renewed calls for maximum restraint, warning of the risk of a nuclear accident if strikes continue near sensitive facilities.

The United States and Israel have said their campaign aims in part to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons programme. The strikes have killed multiple senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening phase of the conflict.

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected proposals to de-escalate, according to a senior Iranian official. Speaking at his first foreign policy meeting since taking office, he said it was not the right time for peace and that Iran would continue its confrontation until its adversaries accepted defeat and paid compensation.

The exchange of strikes underscores the intensifying trajectory of the conflict, with both sides expanding targets and rhetoric while international agencies warn of broader regional and nuclear risks.

Trump’s comments on social media on Friday came hours after Iran’s president said unnamed countries had begun mediation efforts, briefly raising the possibility of a diplomatic resolution nearly a week after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The fighting has since widened, with Iran responding by targeting Israel as well as Gulf states hosting U.S. military facilities.Escalating regional strikes Explosions were heard across Israel on Friday as Israeli air defenses activated to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia reported additional drone and missile attacks, underscoring the widening regional impact of the conflict.Israel also intensified operations in Lebanon, carrying out heavy air strikes on the capital Beirut after ordering residents to evacuate the city’s southern suburbs, an area considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

“We’re sleeping here in the streets some in cars, some on the street, some on the beach,” Jamal Seifeddin, 43, said after fleeing Beirut’s southern districts and spending the night in the city’s downtown area.Attacks inside IranIsrael launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iranian targets, saying about 50 of its warplanes attacked a bunker it said was still being used by Iran’s leadership beneath the destroyed Tehran compound of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.Early on Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Mehrabad Airport in Tehran had been struck. There was no immediate response from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah.Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said the war had killed 1,332 Iranian civilians, providing one of the first official casualty figures since hostilities intensified.Lebanon front expandsIsrael’s military campaign has increasingly focused on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, as the country seeks to weaken the Shi’ite militia that has been closely aligned with Tehran and a major force in Lebanese politics since the 1980s.

Hezbollah fired on Israel earlier this week, saying the strikes were in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei, drawing Lebanon more directly into the conflict and raising fears that the war could widen further across the region.Uncertainty remains over whether mediation efforts could gain traction, even as fighting continues across multiple fronts and governments across the Middle East report fresh attacks.