Iran live updates: Trump blames high gas prices on Ukraine, says Tehran wants a deal

President Donald Trump confirmed that he had a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman during a brief bilateral greeting with the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, in Dublin on Saturday.

Asked about the call and what the U.S. is going to do, Trump avoided weighing in on what he spoke to MBS about or what next steps are.

"Well I have had a call with MBS. He's a good friend of mine and it's going to, I can just say, it's going to work out fine and dandy. It's going to be very good," Trump said.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran is “probably” behind the attack on the critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. During his greeting with Irish leaders in Dublin, Trump also said that the Houthis asked the U.S. not to target them.

“We've had discussions. The Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us,” Trump said.

"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 said.

The Trump administration is offering significant intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia, but it does not currently plan on launching direct military attacks against the Houthis, two U.S. officials told ABC News.

Both officials cautioned that the administration’s thinking could change, particularly if the threat to Red Sea shipping lanes escalates significantly.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman spoke with President Donald Trump about the situation twice on Thursday, one official said, adding that the Saudi leader was seeking direct military intervention from the U.S. but that he did not indicate it was absolutely critical at this time.

"The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests -- such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea -- while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges,” a senior Trump administration official said when asked about the president’s calls with MBS. "We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability.”

Another official said the Saudi government has communicated a willingness to launch a major military operation against the Houthis in recent days, even if it means going it alone, but that Riyadh had not yet made a final decision.

Both officials said that the Trump administration is continuing to closely monitor the situation in Yemen and that although assessments from earlier Friday indicated that the Houthis had taken control of the country’s west coast, Yemeni government forces and aligned militias were continuing to fight back and the situation could still change rapidly without outside intervention.

The Houthis (and their Iranian backers) are aware that attempting to choke off traffic in the Bab al-Mandeb would very likely trigger a stronger response from Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and potentially other countries. They have issued multiple statements indicating the strait is open to commercial traffic, but Houthi strikes on Saudi-linked ships have increased the risk level for all vessels, according to analysts.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Saudi Arabia announced it has shut down the East-West pipeline as a precautionary measure, saying it was subjected to multiple attacks on Thursday.

The attacks resulted in a number of injuries, according to Saudi Arabia.

An official source in the Ministry of Energy said "emergency teams and specialized technical crews initiated operations immediately following the attacks, taking the necessary procedures to secure the pipeline and verify its integrity in accordance with approved safety procedures and emergency response plans, in coordination with relevant authorities."

The East West pipeline goes from Saudia Arabia’s eastern oil fields, to the port of Yanbu in the west where oil can go to the rest of the world through the Bab al Mandeb strait.

This pipeline has been a critical means of mitigating the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.