As attacks choke off Saudi oil, kingdom confronts limits of Trump’s friendship

As Iran seeks leverage against the United States and its Middle Eastern allies, Saudi Arabia is facing a moment of extraordinary pressure. Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Yemen have carried out debilitating strikes on its most important oil pipeline, attacked its military bases and energy infrastructure and gained critical territory along the Red Sea in an offensive against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen that could fully choke off oil exports.