(Washington, D.C., March 19, 2026) — In response to Israel's strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, Iran's retaliatory strikes and the global oil crisis, DAWN issues the following statement:
"By targeting South Pars, Israel crossed another international humanitarian law red line: deliberately striking infrastructure on which civilians depend for electricity, heating, and everyday life," said Omid Memarian, DAWN's Senior Iran Analyst. "The massive, potentially long-term human costs of these strikes were entirely foreseeable and yet Israel, and Iran in retaliation, proceeded nonetheless, underscoring their flagrant disregard for civilian life."
"Americans are paying record prices at the pump while the administration draws down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to manage a crisis Israel created," said Raed Jarrar, Advocacy Director at DAWN. "Israel has now struck Iranian energy infrastructure twice this month, drawing rebukes even from its most stalwart supporters in Washington, yet again highlighting that the U.S. and Israel do not share the same goals in this disastrous campaign."
"The United States and Israel are not fighting the same war. Trump wants a quick exit. Netanyahu wants to permanently destroy Iran as a regional power," said Omar Shakir, Executive Director at DAWN. "There is an exit. Trump doesn't need Israel's permission to end this war. He's done it before in Yemen. The longer he waits, the more Americans pay."
Background:
On March 7, 2026, Israel struck Iranian oil storage tanks and a refinery without U.S. knowledge, drawing a public rebuke from Senator Lindsey Graham, who urged Israel to "be cautious" about targeting energy infrastructure. On March 18, 2026, Israel struck Iran's South Pars gas field, the world's largest natural gas reserve, again describing the attack as U.S.-coordinated while Trump denied any knowledge of it. Iran retaliated by striking Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal, responsible for roughly 20 percent of global LNG supply and on March 19, 2026 an Iranian missile damaged an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial traffic since March 11, triggering what the IEA has called the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
For more on the divergence in Israeli and U.S. interests in this war, see DAWN Executive Director Omar Shakir's March 19 piece in Foreign Policy, "The U.S. and Israel Aren't Fighting the Same War."
