Pompeo visits CENTCOM amid mixed messaging from US on Iran
In a strange move for a top US diplomat, Mike Pompeo visited a US military command solo to avow that the United States doesn't want war with Iran.
WASHINGTON — Even as he raised eyebrows by making an unusual visit to US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo found himself today stressing that President Donald Trump does not want war, in the latest confusing rollercoaster of US-Iran escalation and slight easing of tensions.
“President Trump does not want war, and we will continue to communicate that message while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region,” Pompeo told journalists at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Asked if the US administration has used third countries to deliver messages to Iran to try to de-escalate tensions, Pompeo affirmed that it had.
“We have been engaged in many messages,” Pompeo said. “Even this moment right here, communicating to Iran that we are there to deter aggression.”
