A gigantic cloud of smoke over Tehran after Israeli attacks on oil depots.Image: keystone
The USA should not be happy about the massive Israeli attacks on oil depots in Iran, as the US portal “Axios” reports. US President Trump has several reasons not to escalate this part of the war.
March 9, 2026, 7:48 amMarch 9, 2026, 7:48 am
“WTF” (German: “What the hell?”) was according to the US news portal Axios US officials’ response to Israel’s large-scale attacks on Iran’s oil infrastructure. The medium cites several anonymous sources in the Israeli and US military.
The Israeli army bombed numerous oil depots on Sunday night. A gigantic cloud of black smoke rose into the sky above the Iranian capital. Images also showed how large flash flames and fires occurred.
The attacks caused large flash fires in Tehran.Image: keystone
According to the Axios report, the attacks on 30 oil facilities massively exceeded the scope that Israel had announced to the USA. Several sources tell the portal that this led to a major disagreement between the two allies. A US official stated:
“We don’t think that was a good idea.”
Israel officially justified the attacks by saying that the oil depots were being used by the Iranian regime, including to supply the military. An Israeli military official also said that the attack was intended to signal to the Iranians that they should no longer attack civilian targets in Israel.
For the United States, the scale of the attacks is problematic because it exacerbates unrest over global oil supplies (and with it the turbulence on the stock markets). Iran has already caused a shortage of supply by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large proportion of global oil exports from the Gulf states have to pass. Certain countries, such as the Philippines, have already enacted government energy saving measures. The price of oil recently broke through the $100 mark.
Oil and gasoline prices, which are also rising, are a sensitive issue, especially in the USA. Voters have been sensitive to higher prices in the past. President Donald Trump is not playing into this given the midterm elections this year. A Trump advisor also told “Axios”:
“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 the higher gas prices.”
Donald Trump knows how sensitive his fellow citizens are when it comes to fuel prices.Image: keystone
Israel’s attacks also pose a risk because Iran has announced that it would retaliate against similar targets in the Gulf region if it bombs its energy infrastructure. This would probably significantly accelerate the upward price spiral – and exacerbate potential supply problems worldwide.
The White House and Israeli military and government officials had no comment.