President Donald Trump's administration charged Tuesday it
was "quite possible" Iran was responsible for sabotage of Gulf oil
interests but said its robust response had stopped potential attacks on
Americans.
Top Trump officials appeared to be toning down weeks of
fiery warnings to Iran before delivering a classified briefing to the full
Congress, where rival Democrats have accused the administration of hyping
intelligence and pushing the United States dangerously close to war.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States has
not made "a definitive conclusion" that can be presented publicly
over sabotage incidents of oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates or drone
strikes on a crude pipeline in Saudi Arabia.
"But given all the regional conflicts that we have seen
over the past decade and the shape of these attacks, it seems like it's quite
possible that Iran was behind these," Pompeo told conservative radio host
Hugh Hewitt before heading to Congress.
"Most importantly, we will continue to take acts that
protect American interests and that work to deter Iran from misbehavior in the
region, which has the real risk of escalating the situation such that crude oil
prices rise," he said.
Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran and are
being hit hard by US-backed Saudi airstrikes, claimed responsibility last week
for a drone strike on a major east-west pipeline in the kingdom, which was
forced to shut down temporarily.
John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security adviser,
earlier this month warned of "unrelenting force" if Iran strikes US
interests as he announced the deployment to the region of an aircraft carrier
strike group, followed by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.
Threats 'put on hold'
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who will also
brief lawmakers alongside the US military chief, General Joseph Dunford, said
the US response had made an impact but warned of continued risks.
"I think our steps were very prudent and we've put on
hold the potential for attacks on Americans," Shanahan told reporters.
"I'd say we're in a period where the threat remains
high and our job is to make sure that there is no miscalculation by the
Iranians," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that
the United States was "playing a very, very dangerous game" with
military deployments, saying that some actors were "interested in
accidents" – a likely allusion to its regional rivals such as Saudi
Arabia.
"There will be painful consequences for everybody (if)
there is an escalation against Iran, that's for sure," he said,"
Zarif told CNN.
Trump last year pulled out of a multinational agreement
negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama under which Iran drastically
scaled back its nuclear work in return for promises of sanctions relief.
The administration, which is closely allied with the Saudis,
instead vowed "maximum pressure" to weaken the clerical state's
regional influence, including by trying to stop all oil sales by Iran.
Democrats, who requested the briefing to lawmakers,
criticized Iran but said its actions were in line with predicted responses to
Trump's moves.
"Bluntly, I believe the path to the current level of
tension began when President Trump unilaterally walked out of a diplomatic
deal," Senator Tim Kaine said Monday on the chamber's floor.
"I think it would be absolute lunacy for the United
States to get involved in another war right now in the Middle East. I think it
would be devastating if we were to be in a war with Iran," he said,
calling instead for diplomacy.
Opening on prisoners?
Trump stoked the fire on Sunday in a tweet in which he
warned: "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of
Iran."
But the US president – who made similar threats against
North Korea before meeting leader Kim Jong Un – a day later downplayed the
Iranian threat to US interests and has called for talks.
Few expect Iran's leaders, for whom anti-Americanism is a
cardinal tenet of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, to meet Trump. But Zarif has
proposed a swap of prisoners, a step some observers say could offer a path to
resume at least low-level dialogue to ease tensions.
Pompeo in the radio interview said without further
explanation that there had been "just a hint" that Iran was moving to
release imprisoned US citizens.
"Even a small confidence-building measure is a good
thing, so it's absolutely the case that were they to release these Americans
who are wrongfully held, it would be a good thing," Pompeo said.
