The United States and Israel have reportedly run into their first significant disagreement since launching joint strikes against Iran on 28 February, with Washington raising concerns over the scale of recent Israeli strikes on 30 oil depots in Tehran.
The strikes carried out by Israel on Saturday went “far beyond” what Washington expected when Israel notified it of its plans in advance, reported. axiosciting both US and Israeli officials, as well as a source familiar with the matter.
‘Trump doesn’t like it’
While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed the US of its plans to strike oil depots in Iran, an American official cited in the report said that the US military was surprised at the scale of the strikes.
“We don’t think it was a good idea,” a senior US official was quoted as saying, even as the IDF said that the fuel depots hit were “used by the Iranian regime to supply fuel to different consumers including its military organs.”
An Israeli official confirmed US dissatisfaction, saying that the message from the Trump administration to Tel Aviv was “WTF”.
The concern among US officials is that Israeli strikes on energy or other critical infrastructure serving ordinary Iranians could backfire strategically and drive up support for the current regime, in addition to spooking oil markets and pushing oil prices up further.
Trump, too, is reportedly displeased with Israeli strikes — “The president doesn’t like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn’t want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices,” a presidential advisor was quoted as saying by axios.
Massive strikes across Tehran
Israel on Saturday said it struck 30 oil depots in Tehran, with the massive attack setting off large scale fires in the Iranian capital and blanketing the city in thick smoke.
Footage from Tehran showing massive fires went viral after Saturday’s strikes, sparking horror among many on the Internet.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have struck Israel’s biggest refinery at Haifa, while Tehran has warned that if attacks on its oil infrastructure continue, it may respond with similar strikes across the region.
What happens next?
While neither Washington nor Tel Aviv have commented on the reported disagreement yet, a US official told axios that this issue and the Trump administration’s larger expectations in the war are both expected to be addressed at senior political levels.
