Trump says US not seeking war amid tension with Iran over Saudi attacks

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is not seeking war with any country as Washington has been indicating Iran was behind the attacks on Saudi Arabia's key oil facilities.

"Do I want war? I don't want war with anybody," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he wants war with Iran, which the Trump administration officials held accountable for the attacks on Aramco oil facilities that have halved Saudi oil output.

When asked if Iran was behind the attacks, Trump said "it's certainly looking that way at this moment", seemingly distancing himself from his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who asserted on Saturday that it was Iran which launched this "unprecedented attack".

"We have to find out definitively who did it. We have to speak to Saudi Arabia," Trump said.

He also said that Pompeo and others "will be going over to Saudi Arabia at some point" to discuss the incident.

Iran has strongly dismissed the US accusations as "baseless" and "big lies."

The attacks on Saudi oil facilities have ratcheted up the already tense situation in the Middle East caused by the US maximum pressure policies on Iran, including a total oil trade ban.

There are fears that the rising tensions could spark a military conflict in the Gulf between Iran and the United States or Saudi Arabia.

While speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump also noted that diplomacy has not been exhausted when dealing with Iran.

"It's not exhausted. Nothing is exhausted. And we'll see what happens," he said.