The US defence chief said President Donald Trump's administration was seeking to deter Iran but not start a war, AFP reported Tuesday (May 21st).
"This is about deterrence, not about war. We are not about going to war," Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said after exiting a closed-door meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Shanahan credited robust US moves in recent weeks, which included the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group, with thwarting Iranian threats.
"We have deterred attacks based on re-posturing of assets, deterred attacks against American forces," Shanahan said.
"Our biggest focus at this point is to prevent Iranian miscalculation. We do not want the situation to escalate," he said.
Earlier Tuesday Pompeo said it was "quite possible" Iran was behind sabotage of oil tankers off the UAE as well as drone strikes on a crude pipeline in Saudi Arabia, although he stopped short of giving a definitive conclusion.
Meanwhile, Iraq on Tuesday said it was planning to send urgent delegations to the US and Iran, as it seeks to rein in soaring tensions which have raised fears of the consequences for Iraq.
Baghdad "will very soon send delegations to Tehran and Washington to push for calm", Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said.
He stressed the need to "avoid giving other parties the space to inflame the situation".
