USA does not want the conflict with Iran – Mike Pompeo

The United States will maintain its pressure campaign on Iran and continue to deter aggression in the region but does not want the conflict with Tehran to escalate, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

We have been engaged in many messages, even this moment right here, communicating to Iran that we are there to deter aggression,” Pompeo told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since Washington blamed longtime foe Iran for Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed Tuesday that his country would not “wage war against any nation” as the Trump administration orders another 1,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East to counter Tehran’s influence.

In a speech broadcast on state television, the Iranian leader reportedly said that his country is united against the U.S.

Via Reuters / CD / France 24 / The Hill