The Guardian view on Iran and Saudi Arabia: maximum pressure, maximum risks | Editorial
(The Guardian Iran)

The attack on a key oil facility has increased the dangers - but US actions triggered this crisisDonald Trump´s remarks on foreign policy resemble a dot-to-dot designed by an abstract artist - individual points may stand out, and there are discernible lines between some of them, but to look for a coherent whole is a fool´s errand. His reaction to the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities a the weekend swung quickly from a warning that the US is `locked and loaded` to the remark that `I don´t want war with anybody` and that `at some point it will work out`. Though his secretary of state blamed Iran point blank, the president has said Washington wants more proof. He has already backed off one planned strike, in June.Yet he could still swing in another direction. While his keenness to avoid getting embroiled in a conflict is evident, especially with his campaign for a second term well under way, he is a volatile and ignorant man in a chaotic and fractious administration, facing a crisis in which the stakes rise by the month. The assault on the Abqaiq petroleum processing plant, whether by drone or missile, which knocked out half the kingdom´s production and caused the biggest spike in oil prices since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait three decades ago, has greatly increased the risks of war. Continue reading...