In the wake of a high-profile assassination in Tehran, the US has been sending messages to Iran that escalating hostilities isn’t of their pursuits and that the US will defend Israel from assaults, the State Department mentioned on Monday.
“We have been sending consistent messages through our diplomatic engagements encouraging people to communicate to the government of Iran that escalation is not in their interests and that we will defend Israel from attacks,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller informed reporters.
Miller added that escalation following final week’s assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh wouldn’t serve Iran’s pursuits or the pursuits of anybody within the area.
The US will proceed to “work to try to prevent” a broader Middle East battle from occurring, he mentioned.
“We prepare for all possibilities. That has been the case since October 7,” he added, referring to final yr’s Hamas assault that Israel responded to with a 10-month offensive on Gaza, taking practically 40,000 lives to this point.
Miller mentioned that Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday spoke to Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdullahi about tensions within the Mideast.
Blinken “delivered a consistent message in all of these engagements, we are at a critical moment for the region, and it is important that all parties take steps over the coming days to refrain from escalation and calm tensions,” he mentioned.
“The secretary is also making clear through these engagements (that) the United States continues to see a cease-fire in Gaza as the crucial step to helping calm broader tensions, in addition to, of course, securing the release of hostages and addressing the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” he added.
Pressed on whether or not Iran has the correct to self-defense after the Haniyeh assassination, Miller mentioned: “I’m going to answer that question this way. The right is one question, what’s productive is another and ultimately, we don’t think it’s productive or conducive to anyone’s interest, including Iran’s, to conduct further actions, be they retaliatory or not.”
“Any further action by Iran just raises the risk of increased tensions. It raises the risk of further response from Israel or from other parties, and ultimately gets us into this position that we have worried about from the beginning, that you get a conflict that can spiral out of control,” he added.
Source: www.anews.com.tr