The Pentagon said Thursday that its message to Iran — who is funding proxy attacks against U.S. forces and military and commercial ships in the Middle East — is that the United States does not seek a regional conflict.
Asked by a reporter at a press briefing what the Pentagon’s message to Iran is, Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh responded:
I think our message has been very clear from the beginning. We know Iran funds, supports, equips, trains these groups, the very groups that you just listed out in places throughout — whether it be Iraq and Syria, in Lebanon, in Yemen, we know Iran’s hand is behind all of these groups. And so our message has been very clear. We don’t seek a regional conflict. We don’t want to see a regional conflict, and we certainly don’t want what’s happening in Gaza to spill out into a larger regional or wider-scale war.
She said the Pentagon has called on Iran “repeatedly to stop and that’s what you’re going to see us continuing to do.”
She added, however, that the United States was “meeting those words with actions.”
She noted recent U.S. strikes against the Houthis, who she said are being supplied weapons by Iran to attack American and global commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen’s Houthis have seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
And she noted a defensive operation consisting of U.S. allies and partners to patrol the region so that commercial vessels feel more confident in transiting.
“That’s why you’ve seen the strikes that we’ve conducted. You’ve seen the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian in December,” she said, “as a direct response to some of the actions that these Iranian-funded and militia groups are — the activities that they’re continuing to engage in.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, rear, addresses members of an international maritime task force protecting commercial ships in the Red Sea at U.S. Navy Central Command headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Due to a sharp increase in attacks on commercial vessels transiting there in the last few weeks the U.S. has announced a new mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to get additional countries to send ships and intelligence support. (Tara Copp/AP)
“So we are we are being very public with our message to Iran, and we want these — we certainly want these attacks to stop, not only on our forces — on our forces in Iraq and Syria, but our forces in the Red Sea and commercial shipping,” she said.
Despite those U.S. strikes, the Houthis have continued to launch missiles at ships in the Red Sea.
Singh said in response to another question that there have been nearly 140 attacks against American troops stationed in Iraq and Syria.
President Joe Biden said on January 13 that his message to Iran was, “We’re well prepared.”
“We’ve delivered it privately, and we’re confident we’re well prepared,” he said.
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