Trump Reportedly Displeased with Israeli Strike on Iranian Oil Depot
The United States has expressed disappointment with the scale of the airstrike launched by Israel against dozens of oil depots in Iran during the weekend, which triggered severe fires. US President Donald Trump is reported to be displeased with the Israeli strike on Iranian fuel depots.
According to reports from US media outlet Axios, citing several sources familiar with the matter and reported by Anadolu Agency on Monday, 9 March 2026, this marks an important first disagreement between the US and Israel since the two nations launched a large-scale coordinated attack on Iran on 28 February.
The strike launched by the Israeli Air Force on Saturday, 7 March, triggered a massive fire in Tehran, with enormous flames visible from several kilometres away. Iran’s capital was blanketed in thick smoke billowing above fuel storage tanks and the local industrial area.
Reports indicate that the Israeli strike targeted approximately 30 fuel depots across various regions of Iran.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stated that the fuel depots targeted in the strike “were used by the Iranian regime to supply fuel to various consumers, including its military bodies.”
Israeli officials claimed that the strike was intended to warn Iran to stop targeting Israeli civilian infrastructure. According to Israeli and US officials, the IDF also informed US military commanders before launching the strike.
However, Washington was surprised by the extensive scale of the Israeli strike. Trump is reported to have been displeased with the attack by its ally.
“The President (Trump) does not like the strike on oil facilities. He wants to save oil, not burn it. And it reminds people of rising petrol prices,” said a Trump adviser, who was not named, when speaking to Axios.
US officials are concerned that strikes on infrastructure serving Iranian civilians could backfire strategically by strengthening public support for Tehran’s leadership and further driving up global oil prices.
“We think it was not a good idea,” said a senior US official, who was not named, as quoted by Axios.
Separately, an official from Tel Aviv told Axios that the US sent Israel a message reading: “WTF”.
The Axios report stated that although the facilities struck by Israel were not Iranian oil production sites, US officials are worried that video recordings showing fuel depots severely ablaze could disrupt energy markets.
The White House and Israeli military have not yet commented on the report.