(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)WASHINGTON -- The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia has publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. Following a thwarted attack on the U.S. base in Jordan, Trump turned back to threats Wednesday even while sustaining the prospect of continued talks. “They’ve already apologized, but, you know, we got to smack them a little bit,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. And Saudi Arabia joined the U.S. in striking multiple logistics and weapons sites used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The Trump administration does not seem to have a strategy to resume negotiations with Iran over ending the conflict.