US not seeking conflict with Iran, says Defense Secretary Esper

The United States is not seeking any confrontation with Iran and it wants to engage with them diplomatically, the Pentagon said Thursday amid escalation of tensions in West Asia. "We are not seeking conflict with Iran. We want to engage with them diplomatically," US Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon.

He also referred to reports quoting President Donald Trump as saying that he's more than willing to meet with Iran's leaders to resolve the situation diplomatically. "That has been the purpose of Operation Sentinel, to avoid a situation that would get us off of that track and onto a different one. So to the degree it's been successful, that's good," Esper said.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to call the crisis over yet, but so far so good and we hope the trim lines continue that way and we hope that the parties, that the Iranians would agree to meet and talk and help us resolve these issues," he said.