US President Joe Biden has stated that his administration is ‘discussing’ potential Israeli plans to strike Iran’s oil industry in response to the recent Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Thursday, Biden remarked, ‘First of all, we don’t “allow” Israel, we advise Israel.’
Despite his comments, the statement sparked a surge in global oil prices amidst heightened tensions across the Middle East.
Satellite imagery, published on Thursday, revealed damage from four missile impacts at Israel’s Nevatim airbase, one of the sites targeted by Iran.
When asked about the possibility of Israel targeting Iranian oil facilities, Biden replied, ‘We’re discussing that.’
A prolonged increase in oil prices, which could lead to higher petrol costs at US pumps, is almost guaranteed in the event of an Israeli attack on Iran’s oil industry.
A statement from Iran’s UN mission in New York, declared: ‘Should any country render assistance to the aggressor, it shall likewise be deemed an accomplice and a legitimate target.’
At a joint press conference with Iranian president Pezeshkian, Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, condemned the situation in the Middle East as ‘collective genocide’.
He warned that Israel’s ‘impunity’ was central to the crisis, stating: ‘It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide, in addition to turning the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human habitation, in preparation for displacement.’
The Qatari leader reiterated his nation’s ‘full support’ for Lebanon amidst what he described as ‘brutal attacks’ against the country.
Posting on X, he added that the international community’s failure to halt the war on Gaza had given a ‘green light’ for the conflict’s escalation.
