Trump tells aides he does not want US war with Iran
US President Donald Trump has told his top advisers he
does not want to get the United States involved in a war with Iran, three US officials said on Thursday.
"He doesn't want to go to war. It's not who he
is," one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump has
communicated to his national security team and other aides that wants to keep
tensions with Tehran from boiling over into an armed conflict, the officials
said.
But he has also made clear that he will protect US
interests in the region, one official said. US intelligence showed heightened
activity by Iran or its proxies that US officials took as a threat against
American targets in the region.
Trump won the 2016 election in part by promising to stay out
of conflicts abroad after what he viewed as costly wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Earlier this year he ordered US troops out of Syria but was persuaded
to leave some in.
Trump told reporters on Thursday that he hoped the United
States was not heading to war with Iran as he met with Switzerland President
Ueli Maurer, whose nation has served as a liaison conduit between the two
countries since they do not have diplomatic relations.
"Hope not," Trump said when asked by reporters if
Washington was going to war with Tehran.
Tensions have escalated in recent days with increasing
concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United
States pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following
weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf.
"The president has been clear, the United States does
not seek military conflict with Iran, and he is open to talks with Iranian
leadership. However, Iran’s default option for 40 years has been violence, and
we will protect US personnel and interests in the region," said Garrett
Marquis, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
A White House statement said the two leaders discussed
"a range of international issues, including the crises in the Middle East
and in Venezuela."
Trump has said publicly he wants to pursue a diplomatic
route with Iran a year after withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran
nuclear deal. He has said privately that he was worried that some of his
advisers, such as White House national security adviser John Bolton, were
pushing for war, two officials said.
The Pentagon has prepared options for potentially sending
US troops to the region if needed ranging from a relatively small number of
troops up to 120,000, although officials stressed these are the types of
options that are always considered for hot zones.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News
Channel's "Fox & Friends" that there is no friction between Trump
and his advisers and he welcomes different viewpoints.
"He’s the one the American people elected. He’s going
to take in the information and the guidance from all of his national security
team and he then will make a decision on what he thinks is the best and safest
thing for the American people," she said.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday welcomed what
she called Trump's lack of "appetite" for military conflict with
Tehran.