DUBLIN, Sept 12 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for an aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down its East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom’s main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think they are, probably they are,” Trump told reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit.
The U.S. president also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a “good friend.”
Trump added that Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis had called his admnistration and indicated they did not want the United States to become directly involved in the conflict.
“They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through. There’s just one country that they’re not too happy with, and we’ll get that straightened out,” Trump added.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson and Conor Humphries in Dublin, William James in LondonWriting by Padraic Halpin and Sam Tabahriti)
