TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump sought to distance himself from responsibility after Iran followed through on its warning that any attack on its energy infrastructure during the ongoing war would be met with strikes on regional energy assets in which the United States holds shares or interests.

In a post on social media, Trump claimed that Israel, acting out of anger, had attacked Iran’s major South Pars Gas Field in the port city of Asaluyeh—and that Washington had no advance knowledge of the strike.

"Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack," Trump posted on X on Wednesday.

His statement was quickly contradicted by multiple Western media outlets. An Israeli journalist believed to have close ties to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote for Axios that both U.S. and Israeli officials had told him the attack was carried out with prior American knowledge. Similar reports were published by Reuters and Hebrew-language media including Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel Hayom.

Trump’s denials appeared aimed at limiting the fallout with Arab statss in the Persian Gulf. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Arab leaders expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "outrage" with the U.S. government over Israel’s strike on the South Pars field, particularly since Washington either could not or would not intervene despite Arab calls for de-escalation. Since the war began on February 28, Iran had repeatedly warned that it would retaliate by targeting U.S.-linked energy infrastructure in the region if its own facilities were attacked.

This is not the first time Trump has claimed ignorance of Israeli operations against Iran. During much of the 12-day war in June, his administration maintained a position of "no involvement" in Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. Months later, Trump admitted he had been "in charge" of the war from the start.

============What energy sites did Iran attack?

Iran's retaliation began shortly after the Israeli strikes on Asaluyeh on Wednesday and continued into the early hours of the following day.

Iranian officials have not disclosed the specific sites targeted but have confirmed that retaliatory actions were carried out.

A spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters—the body overseeing the war—warned neighboring Persian Gulf states that if Iran’s energy sector is struck again, "further attacks on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not stop until it is completely destroyed, and our response will be much stronger than previous attacks."

The U.S. and Israel have been using the airspace and territory of Persian Gulf countries, as well as Iraq, to launch attacks against Iran.

In a post on X, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran had used only a "fraction" of its capabilities in deference to requests for de-escalation. He added that there would be "ZERO restraint" if Iranian infrastructure is targeted again.

Current information regarding Iran’s targets comes from authorities in Arab Persian Gulf countries.

Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City was hit by Iranian missiles, causing "significant damage" and fires, according to an official statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed by state-owned QatarEnergy. The facility is the world’s largest LNG production hub, accounting for approximately 20 percent of global LNG supply.

Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries were struck by drone attacks that sparked fires, according to statements from the Kuwait Petroleum Company. Mina Al-Ahmadi is one of West Asia’s largest refineries, with a production capacity of around 730,000 barrels per day.

Saudi Arabia’s SAMREF refinery in Yanbu was hit in an aerial strike, according to an industry source speaking to Reuters. A major joint venture between Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil located on the Red Sea coast, the refinery is strategically important for exporting oil westward, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz—navigation through which has been restricted by Tehran since the war began.

The UAE’s Habshan gas facility and Bab field were forced to shut down operations following Iranian attacks, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Habshan is a key gas processing complex, while Bab is one of Abu Dhabi’s major onshore oil fields.

The United States has direct ownership stakes or commercial interests in all of the targeted facilities.

QatarEnergy CEO says Iran's response has damaged 17% of Qatar LNG capacity, repairs may take up to five years