First Thing: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ all of Iran’s South Pars gasfield if Tehran strikes Qatar

First Thing: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ all of Iran’s South Pars gasfield if Tehran strikes Qatar The move would be a major escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. Plus, FBI director admits to buying data tracking Americans’ locations Good morning. Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East. Israel’s targeting of Iran’s giant South Pars gasfield on Wednesday, hours after intensely bombarding Beirut, marked a major escalation of the war. Iran then retaliated with fresh attacks across the region, including on Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities. The strikes in recent days are a significant escalation – they’re the first time fossil fuel production facilities have been hit , rather than sites associated more generally with the oil and gas industry. What’s happening to oil and gas prices? Brent crude rose by 8% to $116 a barrel. European gas prices jumped, with the Dutch wholesale gas price up 24%. What do we know about the war’s economic cost? The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six – the total is likely to have now exceeded $18bn. Here’s a visualization of how that has been spent. Could US-Israeli attempts to take out Iranian leaders backfire? Some analysts think so. “It is not an approach that produces Jeffersonian democrats but hardened resistance fighters. It breeds more resistance,” said Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House. Follow our live coverage here. Lawmakers and community leaders react to ‘indefensible’ César Chávez sexual abuse allegations The United Farm Workers union has canceled celebrations honoring Cesar Chavez as public figures and community organizers voiced their shock and disgust after several women shared allegations of grooming and abuse by the late labor organizer. The New York Times released an investigation on Wednesday detailing the allegations, which revealed that for yea...