US President Donald Trump said on Monday (September 16th) that Iran appeared to be responsible for attacking drones against Saudi oil installations, but wanted to "avoid" a conflict and waited to know the author "for sure".

"It seems" that it is the Islamic Republic that is behind the attack in Saudi Arabia during the weekend, he told the press by receiving the Crown Prince of Bahrain in the White House.

The attacks, claimed by the Yemeni rebels Houthis, who are backed by Tehran, targeted the Abqaiq plant, the largest for oil processing in the world, and the Khurais oil field. They led to a halving of Saudi production, amounting to 5.7 million barrels per day, or about 6% of global supply.

Donald Trump also said his determination to "help" his Saudi ally while ensuring he wants to "avoid" a war with the Iranians, while the region lives in fear of a military escalation between the United States and Iran. "I do not want war with anyone, but we are prepared more than anyone" for a conflict, he added. "Are we going to take this route? We will see."

"A much bigger attack"

"We have to talk with Saudi Arabia (...) We are also talking to Europe (...) but I can tell you that it was a very big attack and our country could very easily respond with much bigger attack, but we'll first see for sure who did it. "

But Riyad said Monday that "the weapons used in the attack were Iranian," according to the first elements of his own investigation that "continues" to "identify the origin" of the shots.

Once again, the Republican leader faces the dilemma that runs through his mandate: his determination to project - warrior tweets in support - the image of a strong president, and his willingness, repeatedly repeated in campaign, to turn the page of US military involvement in the Middle East, too expensive in his eyes.

Three months ago, he gave up on a strike against Iran for, according to him, avoiding a disproportionate decision after an attack on a US drone. On Sunday, he tweeted that the United States was "ready to fight back".

Conflicting signals

The tenant of the White House sends contradictory signals on the Iranian issue, raising questions about his strategy on this sensitive issue. His procrastination over a possible face-to-face meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rohani next week in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly is, in this respect, revealing.

Throughout the past week, he fueled the idea of ​​such a meeting, even suggesting that a partial lifting of sanctions demanded by Tehran was no longer taboo. The equation is complicated for the Republican billionaire who has always mocked the indecision of his predecessor Democrat.

After the attack on the Wahhabi kingdom this weekend, US Defense Minister Mark Esper assured that Washington would "defend the international order" "undermined by Iran".

By Saturday, US Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo had accused Tehran of being responsible for the attacks, saying there was no evidence that they came from Yemen, despite the Yemeni Houthi rebels' claim.

With AFP