What we know on the 20th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

By CNN Newsource

Published March 18, 2026 10:26 PM

By Jessie Yeung, CNN

(CNN) — The price of energy is soaring after Israel — in a major escalation — struck production infrastructure linked to Iran’s South Pars natural gas field, part of the largest gas reserves in the world, prompting Iran to target energy facilities in neighboring Persian Gulf states and Israel.

Although President Donald Trump has tried to distance his administration from Israel’s strike, saying the United States “knew nothing” about it, sources are disputing his claim.

Here’s what to know on Day 20.

What are the main headlines?

Energy prices spike: Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hit $115 a barrel Thursday morning after Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field spurred Tehran to fire back at energy infrastructure across the Middle East. An Iranian missile struck an Israeli oil refinery complex at Haifa on Thursday. Saudi Arabia said two refineries were struck in its capital, Riyadh, while Qatar reported “extensive damage” at Ras Laffan, its main energy hub. After the strike, Qatar ordered Iran’s military and security attachés to leave the country within 24 hours.
Trump distances US: Israel’s attack on South Pars represented a major escalation: It had previously attacked Iranian fuel depots but had until Wednesday refrained from striking energy production facilities. Trump distanced his administration from Israel’s attack on Iran’s part of the gas field, which it shares with Qatar. “The United States knew nothing about this particular attack,” he wrote on Truth Social. He did, however, warn that the US “will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field” if Iran keeps attacking Qatar.
Netanyahu: Trump also said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him to stop attacks on Iranian oil and gas facilities. “I told him, don’t do that,” Trump said. “And he won’t do that.”
Sources contradict Trump: Sources familiar with Israel’s South Pars strike have contradicted Trump’s claim that the US “knew nothing” about it. An Israeli source told CNN that Israel carried out the attack in coordination with the United States, while an American source said the US had been “aware” of the strike.
Export ban ruled out: The White House has ruled out imposing a ban on US crude oil and gas exports, as it seeks ways to ease surging energy prices, an administration official told CNN. Trump administration officials had initially weighed a ban as one of a range of ideas aimed at alleviating the spike in prices.
Saudi threat: As its energy facilities came under attack, Saudi Arabia warned Thursday that it “reserved the right to take military actions” against Iran if necessary. In a joint statement following a meeting of 12 Arab and Islamic foreign ministers, Saudi Arabia called for Iran to “immediately halt its attacks.”
US troops: Trump said he’s not deploying US troops when asked about Reuters reporting that his administration is considering deploying thousands of them to the Middle East. “No, I’m not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you, but I’m not putting troops,” Trump said Thursday. In an opinion piece in The Economist, Oman’s foreign minister urged American allies to step in and help end what he called an “unlawful war.”
Intel assessment: A day after his resignation, former Trump administration counterterrorism chief Joe Kent said there was “no intelligence” suggesting Iran was going to launch a “big sneak attack” akin to 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. He said Iran was not on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon and that he felt Israel had pulled the US into the conflict. In a public hearing Wednesday, administration officials repeatedly contradicted Trump’s claims about the threat posed by Iran, or failed to back them up.
Senate vote: Republicans again rejected a resolution aimed at reining in Trump’s war powers. This is the second time that Democrats have forced an unsuccessful vote since the current conflict with Iran started.
No clear timeline: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US remains “on plan” to achieve its objectives, but he did not indicate when the war might end. “We wouldn’t want to set a definitive time frame” on the war’s end, Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing Thursday.

What’s happening on the ground?

Continuing strikes: Israel, Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon have continued trading strikes. Israel said it struck 200 targets across western and central Iran on Wednesday, including military infrastructure. Israel also said early Thursday it was intercepting missiles launched from Iran, with one foreign national killed by shrapnel in the southern Sharon region. And in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, at least three women were killed after rocket fragments struck a hair salon, which the Israeli military said was caused by Iranian cluster munitions.
Caspian Sea attack: Israel carried out strikes against Iranian naval targets in the Caspian Sea, in the first such strikes after nearly three weeks of war. Until now, US strikes on Iranian naval assets have been in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The landlocked Caspian Sea is bordered by several other countries, including Russia.
Two ships hit: Unknown projectiles hit two vessels in separate incidents in and around the Persian Gulf early Thursday, according to the United Kingdom’s maritime agency. More than 20 oil tankers, cargo ships and other vessels have reported incidents in and around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman since the war began, according to the agency.
Rising toll: The death toll across the region is rising, with Lebanon now reporting more than 1,000 fatalities since the conflict began. The highest toll so far comes from Iran, with scores more killed in Persian Gulf Arab nations and Israel.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - World

Jump to comments ↓