UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump is weighing the deployment of thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as global energy lifelines came under renewed strain on Thursday, March 19.
Trump’s proposal follows the growing spillover of the US-backed Israel-Iran conflict into the Gulf, with fresh strikes hitting gas infrastructure in Qatar and missile threats directed at Saudi Arabia.
Reuters reported that the development was revealed by officials familiar with the deliberations, as Washington scrambles to secure oil transit routes and prevent a total breakdown of global energy flows.
At the centre of the crisis is the South Pars gas field, the world’s largest natural gas reserve, struck by Israeli forces in what Trump described as a retaliatory move driven by “anger” over recent developments in the conflict, marking a dangerous expansion of targets from military to critical economic infrastructure.
Within hours, Iran responded with missile attacks that hit Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, a facility responsible for processing roughly a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply. Qatari authorities reported extensive damage and fires at key installations, raising alarm across global markets already rattled by weeks of instability.
Missiles were also launched toward Riyadh, with Saudi air defences intercepting several ballistic threats. Additional drone and missile strikes targeted energy sites across the Gulf, including facilities in the United Arab Emirates, forcing shutdowns and heightening fears of a coordinated campaign against oil and gas infrastructure.
The widening conflict is now directly threatening the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows. Iran’s moves to disrupt the corridor have already driven up global energy prices and intensified concerns over inflation and supply shortages worldwide.
Trump insisted that Washington had no prior knowledge of Israel’s strike on South Pars, as he issued a stark warning to Tehran that any further attacks on Gulf states could trigger overwhelming US retaliation.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers from 12 Muslim-majority nations meeting in Riyadh condemned Iran’s strikes on civilian infrastructure, warning of potential military responses if attacks continue, as Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom “reserves the right” to act.
Thousands have reportedly been killed in Iran since the conflict escalated, with casualties also recorded across Lebanon, Iraq, and Gulf states. In Lebanon, displacement is surging as hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
Analysts noted that with key energy hubs burning, shipping lanes under threat, and diplomacy yielding little progress, the Gulf crisis is rapidly evolving from a regional conflict into a global economic emergency, one that could redefine both energy security and military alliances in the weeks ahead.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.