Researcher Simon Henderson opened an article on the US site, The Hill, by asking: When is the failed attack on Saudi oil facilities, instigated by Iran, a problem?

He answered, "When a new administration in Washington tries to move away from the Middle East and reduce dependence on oil. More briefly, but in technical terms, when the market is tight (when supplies are limited)."

Henderson, director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, referred to the 2019 attack when missiles and drones struck a Saudi oil facility in Abqaiq and how the accuracy of the attack disrupted half of Saudi oil exports at the time.

Last Sunday, another attack took place on the oil infrastructure near the coastal city of Dammam, only one oil tank was hit, and the nearby oil export port, which deals with 15% of global supplies, was not affected.

The writer suggested that the imprints of Iran's responsibility, as in the previous time, are somewhat unclear, as the Yemeni Houthi group claimed that it carried out the attack, and said that the matter should become clearer within a day or two.

The survival of the Middle East is a source of headache for Washington, this is one thing, but when the price of petrol increases at the gas stations, that is another matter.

The researcher believes that yesterday's attack is likely to be a real pain for the administration of US President Joe Biden.

According to him, the Iranian attack took place at a time when two B-52 strategic bombers were on a declared round-trip to the Gulf, as they were supposed to deter Iranian aggression as he described it.

He added that the desire to confront Iran was diminished by the administration's aspiration to enter into nuclear talks.

But the survival of the Middle East is a source of headache for Washington, this is one thing, but when the price of petrol increases at the gas stations, that is another matter.

The researcher asks again: What should be done?

He says the answer is clear: the Saudis demand an end to oil production cuts, but "the person the White House needs to talk to about this is the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

"Whew, this is the person President Biden does not deal with due to a host of issues, including the murder of opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This means a new problem for Biden," Henderson adds.