Is there a danger of global conflict in the Middle East?

After the bombing of oil wells in Saudi Arabia, is there a risk of conflict? The Saudis have defined what happened as an act of war and, in reality, it is exactly what it seems, even outside of geopolitical considerations. On the other hand Saudi Arabia is really a country at war, in Yemen, against the Shiite religion rebels, to avoid an advance of Iran to its own borders. Riyadh also led this conflict violently against civilians, creating a very serious humanitarian situation, where, after the weapons, the sanitary and hygienic conditions, caused by the conflict, contributed to increase the number of victims. In this context, a retaliation by the Yemenite Shiites, even if deplorable, is part of the logic of the conflict, which, as recognized by the Saudi generals questioned about the massacres of civilians, responded that they were part of the collateral effects of a war. So Saudi Arabia should not be too surprised by an act of retaliation. However, those who hit Saudi plants have widened the conflict to economic goals, which are also symbolic. Saudi Arabia has made up all its wealth on the production and export of crude oil and to hit its main plant is to say that the armed forces of the country are too weak to defend the Saudi economy, that is, the attack has shown a country that it is an economic power whose military strength is a small thing. After all, the war against the Yemenite rebels seems very far from the end, although the Shiites of Yemen are not a regular force. From here it comes directly to those who claimed responsibility for the attack: the Shi'ite rebels of Yemen, who have also shown themselves to be a hostile enemy in traditional military operations, do not seem to be reliable as organizers of an act of this magnitude, at least not alone . If Iran, which is the main suspect, merely provides the material and advice to put it into practice, leaving the practical implementation to the Shiites in Yemen, it is not relevant. A Tehran implication truly puts peace in the whole region at risk, with consequences for the entire planet. Saudi Arabia, however, as we have seen, has no military capacity to confront Tehran and here the United States comes into play, in the uncomfortable position of a major ally of Riyadh. For Washington, the central question is not to appear weak in the face of allies and even in the face of enemies. Any act of retaliation against Iran, even an isolated and demonstrative episode, could trigger a wider conflict, especially in disregard of the current difficult relations between the two states. Despite Arab and even Israeli pressure, the American attitude appears to be based on prudence. Washington's tactic may initially be to tighten sanctions against the Iranian country, to then proceed with diplomatic pressure from several countries to arrive at a sort of definition of the situation. The White House has indirect responsibilities if Iran were behind the attack: economic sanctions especially hit Iranian crude oil exports and caused a severe economic recession; if we consider all these factors, the attack on the Saudi oil center takes on a further symbolic value. The tense situation was created by the current American president, who behind the requests of Saudi Arabia and Israel, did not keep faith with the agreement signed by the previous American president, on the Iranian nuclear issue. The conditions of a conflict are all there, however all the parties involved are aware of the consequences: for now Iran, if not attacked, will avoid other demonstrations of force, trying to play to its advantage the instability that has come about create to obtain, at least, minor penalties; the United States certainly has no interest in being committed to a further conflict, but of a far worse magnitude than those in which they have been engaged so far and will seek a diplomatic way out. Saudi Arabia remains, whose image and international prestige is significantly worsened and this could provoke resentment against the United States, which must pay attention to an ally that has repeatedly supported Islamic fundamentalism, coming to use it for its own purposes.