President Donald Trump’s war with Iran has put him and his officials in a difficult position.
A U.S. official, an Israeli official and a person familiar with the matter said Sunday’s massive Israeli attack on Iranian oil depots caught the United States off guard, Axios reported.
According to Axios, Israel attacked 30 Iranian fuel depots. The attack far exceeded U.S. expectations and triggered the first rift between the United States and Israel in the war. Tehran was shrouded in toxic smoke.
Thick smoke was reported Sunday after an attack on oil tanks in Tehran. / Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Trump, who has been trying to promote his affordability efforts, was angry about the strike and worried that footage of burning oil depots would remind Americans of soaring gas prices at home, the outlet reported.
“The president doesn’t like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn’t want to burn the oil. It reminds people of higher gas prices,” a Trump adviser told Axios.
Since the United States and Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attacked Iran on February 28, oil prices have risen by about 50% due to the virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to reports, Israel’s large-scale attack on Iranian oil depots is the first disagreement between Israel and the United States in the war launched by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Trump. /Win McNamee/Getty Images
Trump, 79, sought on Sunday to argue that “short-term” oil growth was a “small price to pay” for “security and peace.”
“Only a fool would think differently!” the billionaire president wrote on Truth Social.
The Israel Defense Forces notified the U.S. military before the attack, but the full scale of the operation still caught Washington by surprise.
“We don’t think it’s a good idea,” a senior U.S. official told Axios.
An Israeli official said the U.S. message to Israel was “WTF.”
U.S. officials are also concerned that Israeli attacks on infrastructure that affect the daily lives of Iranians could unite people behind the Islamic regime rather than weaken it.
The billionaire president on Sunday sought to argue that “short-term” oil growth is a “small price to pay” for “security and peace.” /Donald Trump/Truth Society
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The IDF said in a statement to Axios that the fuel depots were “used by the Iranian regime to supply fuel to various consumers, including its military establishment,” while an Israeli military official said the operation was aimed in part at preventing Iran from attacking Israeli civilian infrastructure.
The Iranian regime has warned that if attacks on its oil infrastructure continue, it could retaliate by attacking similar infrastructure in the Middle East, which could push up global oil prices.
