US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the US does not seek a war with Iran, amid rising tensions between the two countries.
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Tuesday said his country is not seeking war with Iran, despite a spike in tensions that has seen the Pentagon dispatch nuclear-capable bombers to the region.
Pompeo’s comments came during his first official visit to Russia, a key backer of Tehran which has blamed the current crisis on Washington’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
“We fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran,” Pompeo said in a joint press conference following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
But he added: “We have also made clear to the Iranians that if American interests are attacked, we will most certainly respond in an appropriate fashion.”
“We are looking for Iran to behave like a normal country,” Pompeo said, pointing in part to Tehran’s backing of Houthi rebels in Yemen who are under attack from US ally Saudi Arabia.
Houthi rebels “are launching missiles into areas where there are Russians and Americans travelling. These missiles could easily kill a Russian or an American,” Pompeo said.
For his part, Lavrov said Moscow would work “to ensure this situation does not descend into a military scenario.”
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