TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. does not want to go to war with Iran, but the country is prepared to respond if Iran shows further aggression in the Persian Gulf.
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“It's been our mission since the beginning of this administration to convince the Iranian regime not to move forward with their nuclear program and not to continue to engage the missiles and all the activities that they've been engaged in around the world,” said Pompeo to reporters at MacDill Air Force Base.
The remarks come in the wake of an attack on two tankers in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. says Iran was behind the attacks. The country denies it.
Japan has asked for additional evidence linking Iran to the attacks. Pompeo says that evidence will be provided in the coming weeks and points out that this is not the first time Iran has shown aggression in the region.
“Since the beginning of May, there are now over a half dozen instances of Iranian attacks in the region; some thwarted, some not successfully thwarted and they had an impact,” he said.
Pompeo had been at MacDill since Monday, meeting with members of the Central Command Unit about a number of issues, including the tanker attacks. He told reporters the meeting was to ensure everyone was briefed and “coordinated.”
President Trump ordered an additional 1,000 troops to the region in the wake of those attacks. Pompeo says the troops are there as a show of diplomacy.
“We are providing them with the resources they need to be successful to continue to engage in activities in a way that will deliver good outcomes,” he said.