US says does not seek war with Iran, but will defend itself

“We do not want this war to widen,” Blinken told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, “but if Iran or its proxies attack us personnel anywhere, make no mistake, we will defend our people. We will defend our security swiftly and decisively.”

“To all the members of this council, if you, like the United States, want to prevent this conflict from spreading, tell Iran, tell its proxies in public, in private, through every means: ‘Do not open another front against Israel in this conflict. Do not attack Israel’s partners.’”

Blinken added that he will be discussing ways to stop the spread of the conflict with China’s Wang Yi during the Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Washington, DC later this week. Iran and China maintain close strategic and trade ties.

White House spokesman John Kirby has estimated that a dozen attacks have targeted US troops in the Middle East over the past several days.

“It’s potentially a dangerous environment, and we’re taking it very, very seriously,” he told reporters on Tuesday.