US-Iran War News Live Updates: Strikes Hit Largest Natural Gas Field In Qatar; Trump Threatens Iran

Ministry of Interior - Qatar said the situation at Ras Laffan Industrial Area in Qatar is under control, with the Civil Defense containing two out of three fires caused by an Iranian missile attack. No injuries have been reported, and cooling and securing operations are ongoing. The Explosives Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) is handling any hazardous elements.

The national debt surpassed a record USD 39 trillion on Wednesday, a milestone that comes just weeks into the US-Israeli war in Iran. The unprecedented figure highlights competing administration priorities, from passing a massive tax law and boosting defense spending and immigration enforcement to chipping away at the debt itself — the latter of which Donald Trump promised to do as both a candidate and as president.

The Government Accountability Office outlines some of the impact of rising government debt on Americans — including higher borrowing costs for things like mortgages and cars, lower wages from businesses having less money available to invest, and more expensive goods and services. Advocates for a balanced budget also warn that the long-term trend of borrowing more and paying more in interest will force Americans to face tougher fiscal tradeoffs ahead.

(Source: AP)
 

Iran uses a lot of natural gas, and 80% comes from South Pars.

Iran relies heavily on gas to produce electricity and heat homes. It is the fourth-largest consumer of natural gas in the world, behind the US, China and Russia, according to the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, even though its economy is much smaller. In contrast to other Middle East countries, it uses gas for heating due to its cold climate and much of that use is subsidised, which discourages efficient use. South Pars is the main source.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate halt to strikes on civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water supply facilities, following attacks on gas production facilities in Iran and Qatar. 

Macron wrote, "I have just spoken with the Emir of Qatar and President Trump following the strikes that hit gas production facilities in Iran and Qatar today. It is in our common interest to implement, without delay, a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water supply facilities. Civilian populations and their essential needs, as well as the security of energy supplies, must be protected from military escalation."

US President Donald Trump said that Israel attacked Iran's South Pars Gas Field without US involvement. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "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, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen."

"Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility. NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar - In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before. I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added.

Joe Kent, the former counterterrorism director who resigned this week over concerns about the Iran war, said Wednesday that he and other senior officials with doubts about the airstrikes “were not allowed” to share them with President Donald Trump.

Speaking on Tucker Carlson's show, Kent said the president relied on a small circle of advisers in making his decision to strike Iran. Kent claimed Israel forced Trump's hand despite what he said was no evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S.

“A good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,” Kent told the prominent conservative commentator. "There wasn't a robust debate.”

Qatar Energy Statement on Missile Attacks on its LNG Facilities

In addition to the previous attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City on Wednesday March 18, 2026 that resulted in extensive damage to the Pearl GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) facility, QatarEnergy confirms that in the early hours of Thursday March 19, 2026, several of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities were the subject of missile attacks, causing sizeable fires and extensive further damage.

Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the resulting damage with no reported casualties. QatarEnergy will continue to communicate the latest available information.
 

Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the complex that houses the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant, suffered “extensive damage” after an Iranian attack, state-owned QatarEnergy said. One missile struck after four were intercepted late Wednesday, and another attack early Thursday sparked a fire.

The Qatar Foreign Ministry called the assault “a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty.”

Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israeli military spokesman: "We have air defence systems, and I can already say they are among the best in the world; this is proven. Unfortunately, the defence is not airtight. We use our systems to intercept these missiles. These cluster missiles are a war crime if this terrorist regime targets them at population centres. There is no difference from a regular missile except for its dispersion . I will say once again that adhering to the Home Front Command's instructions and the public's resilience is the best solution to this issue.
 

Keeping up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, Israeli strikes hit multiple apartment buildings in Beirut, killing at least a dozen people.

Israel flattened an apartment building in central Beirut about an hour after issuing an evacuation notice — the fourth time the building was targeted. Israel's military claimed it was being used by Hezbollah to store 'millions of dollars intended to finance its activities,' without providing evidence.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says, "The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range. The IC assesses that threats to the homeland will expand collectively to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035 from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles..."  

She also says, "Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with a range capable of striking the homeland. The IC assesses that Iran has previously demonstrated space launch and other technology it could use to begin to develop a militarily viable ICBM before 2035 should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability..."

Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia: "This conflict will end at some point. But I have to tell you, what little trust there was before has completely been shattered. Has been shattered on multiple levels. First because Iran knows that most of the countries in the room today worked very hard to support diplomatic outcomes. Also because we were quite clear with Iran that we would not be combatants in any confrontation that came. Not only that , that we would not allow our facilities to be used to target Iran, that would be restricted to self defence."

Statement from IRGC
🔺 The IRGC's naval forces successfully targeted significant locations at the "Minhad" and "Al-Dhafra"(UAE) bases, the "Al-Adairi"(KUWAIT) helicopter base used by American forces, and the "Mina Salman" base, which is the headquarters for the US Fifth Fleet.

🔺 This operation involved a combination of missile and drone strikes, effectively hitting command centers, fuel storage tanks, and equipment hangars at the "Minhad" base.

🔺 Additionally, early warning radars and the central ramp of the "Al-Adairi" base were struck by ballistic missiles.

🔺 The operation also targeted fuel tanks and early warning radars at the "Al-Dhafra" air base and the "Mina Salman" headquarters, utilizing drones and both cruise and ballistic missiles for heavy strikes.

QatarEnergy said on X that a missile hit its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility, sparking a fire that caused "extensive" damage before it was extinguished. The company had already halted production there because of Iranian attacks.

Since the war started, a small number of ships from Iran, Turkey, India and elsewhere have gotten through the Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Iran insists the waterway is open, just not to the U.S. or its allies.
 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promised 'significant surprises' to come after Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, was killed in an overnight strike. 

Iran retaliated by unleashing missile strikes against Israel. Israel said an Iranian missile hit the occupied West Bank, marking the territory's first fatalities during the Iran war, though missile debris has damaged homes and businesses.

Iran also attacked Saudi Arabia's vast Eastern Province, home to many of its oil fields, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
 

Iran hit a major natural gas facility in Qatar, keeping up attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors' energy facilities as it continued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel — through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels.

The United Arab Emirates early on Thursday denounced Iran's attacks targeting its Habshan gas facility and Bab field as a 'dangerous escalation' as Israel and the United States escalate their war on the Islamic Republic.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites. Iran also had attacked gas facilities in Qatar after Israel launched an attack against Iran's South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Doha.