The Trump administration has asked Israel to refrain from further attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, particularly oil facilities, according to a report Tuesday citing sources familiar with the discussions.
The messages were conveyed at a senior political level and to the Israeli army's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, according to an Israeli official.
Washington said the strikes hurt ordinary Iranians, many of whom they think oppose the government in Tehran. Trump hopes to cooperate with Iran's oil sector after the war, and is concerned that attacks on the energy infrastructure could provoke massive Iranian retaliation against Gulf oil facilities.
Trump sees strikes on Iranian energy assets as a "doomsday option," to be conducted only if Iran first targets Gulf oil infrastructure, a source told Axios.
The request followed a report that said the U.S. is displeased about the scale of Israeli strikes on Iranian fuel depots over the weekend.
Other reasons included a fear that such strikes would harm the Iranian public and trigger massive Iranian retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across Gulf states, Axios reported.
The White House, U.S. State Department and Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
