Mr. Trump on March 19 asked Israel not to continue attacking Iran's energy infrastructure, amid escalating conflict between the US, Israel and Iran and strong impacts on the global market.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he had directly asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop attacks on Iranian energy sources. He emphasized that Israel would not repeat this action.
The move comes as energy prices rise sharply after back-and-forth attacks on energy facilities in the region. Iran responded to the airstrike on the South Pars gas field by attacking the industrial city of Ras Laffan in Qatar, which processes about 20% of global liquefied natural gas sources, causing serious damage.
A major Saudi Arabian port in the Red Sea was also attacked, showing Iran's ability to cause significant losses to strategic energy assets in the region, despite existing air defense systems.
Conflict broke out after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran from the end of February, after negotiations related to Tehran's nuclear program failed to yield results. Thousands of people have been killed, fighting has spread to neighboring countries and greatly affected the global economy.
Mr. Netanyahu confirmed that Israel carried out the attack on the South Pars gas field on its own and admitted that Mr. Trump had requested a halt to similar actions. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had carried out more than 130 airstrikes on targets in western and central Iran, including missile launchers, drones and air defense systems.
Iran continues to launch missiles towards Israel, while warning that attacks on the country's energy facilities have opened a new phase of war. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari declared that if attacks continue, Tehran will continue to target the enemy's energy infrastructure and allies.
In the context of increasing global energy crisis risks, many countries such as the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan have declared their readiness to participate in efforts to ensure maritime safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route of about 20% of the world's oil resources.
However, these countries remain cautious, saying that participation can only take place after the conflict ends.
